The National Precast Concrete Association last week joined 21 other national trade associations in signing a letter that expresses opposition to President Joe Biden’s 2022 executive order on use of project labor agreements (PLAs) for large federal construction projects.
Biden in February issued an order mandating PLAs as part of the terms and conditions for all workers on projects receiving direct federal funding of $35 million or more. The order does not affect projects from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure act that are contracted at the state or local levels.

PLAs are pre-hire collective bargaining agreements with labor organizations that establish the terms and conditions of employment for a specific project. The terms of such agreements apply to all contractors and subcontractors who successfully bid on a project.

The letter – which you can read here – was delivered to William Clark, director of the Office of Government-wide Acquisition Policy of the General Services Administration.

The coalition letter states that 87 percent of U.S. construction jobs are held by non-unionized workers, thus cutting millions of men and women out of the opportunity to work on these projects. The letter concludes by asking Clark and the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council to discard the proposal in its entirety.

The FAR Council has received more than 8,000 comments on the proposed change based on Biden’s order. The comment period ended Tuesday.

A similar letter – available here – was submitted and signed by 52 Republican lawmakers.