Project labor agreement (PLA) - Revision history

Designing Buildings at 08:13, 26 December 2020

2020-12-26T08:13:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:13, 26 December 2020
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	* Umbrella companies.		* Umbrella companies.

−	[[Category:International]] [[Category:Appointments]] [[Category:Contracts_/_payment]]	+	[[Category:DCN_Definition]] [[Category:DCN_Guidance]] [[Category:International]] [[Category:Appointments]] [[Category:Contracts_/_payment]]

Designing Buildings at 07:15, 8 August 2018

2018-08-08T07:15:07Z

Editor at 14:55, 19 July 2018

2018-07-19T14:55:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:55, 19 July 2018
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	* Recruiting and retaining talent in the construction industry.		* Recruiting and retaining talent in the construction industry.
	* Relationship management in construction.		* Relationship management in construction.
		+	* Right-to-work legislation and construction.
	* Sub-contractor.		* Sub-contractor.
	* Tackling the construction skills shortage.		* Tackling the construction skills shortage.

Editor: Created page with "In the United States, a project labor agreement (PLA), also known as a community workforce agreement, is a pre-hire agreement that can be used on both public and private construc..."

2018-07-19T14:53:25Z

Created page with "In the United States, a project labor agreement (PLA), also known as a community workforce agreement, is a pre-hire agreement that can be used on both public and private construc..."

New page

In the United States, a project labor agreement (PLA), also known as a community workforce agreement, is a pre-hire agreement that can be used on both public and private construction projects. PLAs are authorised under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

The purpose of a PLA is to establish in advance the terms and conditions of employment for a construction project, and specific provisions can be agreed according to the particular project requirements and those of the signatory parties. A PLA takes precedence over any pre-existing collective bargaining agreements that may have been set by trade unions (or labor organisations), and applies to all contractors and subcontractors who successfully bid to work on the project.

Typically, a PLA enables non-union workers to work on union-controlled construction projects, with the parties (usually project owner and trade union/s) agreeing working conditions, labour rates, benefits, and so on. Right-to-work laws mean that PLAs cannot limit project participation just to union contractors. Unions have to advocate on behalf of non-union member workers on the project as well.

Some of the common agreement clauses that can be used in PLAs include:

* Provisions to prevent strikes, lockouts, slow-downs or other work stoppages.
* Trade union procedures that be in place for hiring workers.
* Non-union workers should pay union dues if working on the project.
* Schedules, wage rates, benefits and dispute resolution methods are standardised.
* Safety requirements and compliance measures.
* Trade union rules to apply on pensions and work conditions.

In the US, PLAs were first used on construction projects in the 1930s but became more contentious during the 1980s; particularly their use on publicly-funded projects which at the time was a condition of government entities. Their use and non-use has been the subject of several executive orders, most recently one signed by President Obama in 2009 which encouraged the use of PLAs by federal agencies on federal construction projects costing over $25 million.

The use of PLAs is supported by construction trade unions and other bodies who argue that PLAs help large and complex projects complete on time and to budget by helping project owners control costs and ensure the likelihood of their being no schedule disruptions. It is also argued that the use of PLAs provides an assurance of quality and better working conditions in terms of health and safety.

However, the use of PLAs is opposed on the grounds that they discriminate against non-union workers and contractors and discourage open trade and fair competition. In addition, opponents dislike the fact that the use of PLAs means that that non-union contractors must pay dues to the union and obey their rules while working on a project. It is also argued that it increases costs for project owners and is unfair for the majority of workers in the construction industry who are non-unionised (recent estimates suggest that to be around 86%).

= Find out more =

=== Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki ===

* Blacklisting.
* Construction contractor.
* Construction organisations and strategy.
* Exploring the impact of the ageing population on the workforce and built environment.
* Gangmaster.
* Open shop construction.
* Recruiting and retaining talent in the construction industry.
* Relationship management in construction.
* Sub-contractor.
* Tackling the construction skills shortage.
* Umbrella companies.

[[Category:International]] [[Category:Appointments]] [[Category:Contracts_/_payment]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:15, 8 August 2018
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	The purpose of a PLA is to establish in advance the terms and conditions of employment for a construction project, and specific provisions can be agreed according to the particular project requirements and those of the signatory parties. A PLA takes precedence over any pre-existing collective bargaining agreements that may have been set by trade unions (or labor organisations), and applies to all contractors and subcontractors who successfully bid to work on the project.		The purpose of a PLA is to establish in advance the terms and conditions of employment for a construction project, and specific provisions can be agreed according to the particular project requirements and those of the signatory parties. A PLA takes precedence over any pre-existing collective bargaining agreements that may have been set by trade unions (or labor organisations), and applies to all contractors and subcontractors who successfully bid to work on the project.

−	Typically, a PLA enables non-union workers to work on union-controlled construction projects, with the parties (usually project owner and trade union/s) agreeing working conditions, labour rates, benefits, and so on. Right-to-work laws mean that PLAs cannot limit project participation just to union contractors. Unions have to advocate on behalf of non-union member workers on the project as well.	+	Typically, a PLA enables non-union workers to work on union-controlled construction projects, with the parties (usually the project owner and trade union/s) agreeing working conditions, labour rates, benefits, and so on. Right-to-work laws mean that PLAs cannot limit project participation just to union contractors. Unions have to advocate on behalf of non-union member workers on the project as well.

	Some of the common agreement clauses that can be used in PLAs include:		Some of the common agreement clauses that can be used in PLAs include:

	* Provisions to prevent strikes, lockouts, slow-downs or other work stoppages.		* Provisions to prevent strikes, lockouts, slow-downs or other work stoppages.
−	* Trade union procedures ~~that be in place~~ for hiring workers.	+	* Trade union procedures for hiring workers.
−	* ~~Non~~-union workers ~~should~~ pay union dues ~~if working on the project~~.	+	* Requirement for non-union workers to pay union dues.
−	* Schedules, wage rates, benefits and dispute resolution methods ~~are standardised~~.	+	* Schedules, wage rates, benefits and dispute resolution methods.
	* Safety requirements and compliance measures.		* Safety requirements and compliance measures.
−	* Trade union rules to apply on pensions and work conditions.	+	* Trade union rules to apply to pensions and work conditions.

−	In the US, PLAs were first used on construction projects in the 1930s but became more contentious during the 1980s; particularly their use on publicly-funded projects ~~which at the time was a condition of government entities~~. Their use and non-use has been the subject of several executive orders, most recently one signed by President Obama in 2009 which encouraged the use of PLAs by federal agencies on federal construction projects costing over $25 million.	+	In the US, PLAs were first used on construction projects in the 1930s but became more contentious during the 1980s; particularly in relation to their use on publicly-funded projects. Their use and non-use has been the subject of several executive orders, most recently one signed by President Obama in 2009 which encouraged the use of PLAs by federal agencies on federal construction projects costing over $25 million.

−	The use of PLAs is supported by construction trade unions and other bodies who argue that ~~PLAs~~ help large and complex projects complete on time and to budget by helping project owners control costs and ~~ensure~~ the likelihood of ~~their being no schedule~~ disruptions. It is also argued that the use of PLAs provides an assurance of quality and better working conditions ~~in terms of health and safety~~.	+	The use of PLAs is supported by construction trade unions and other bodies who argue that they can help large and complex projects complete on time and to budget by helping project owners control costs and reduce the likelihood of disruptions. It is also argued that the use of PLAs provides an assurance of quality and better working conditions.

−	However, the use of PLAs is opposed on the grounds that they discriminate against non-union workers and contractors and discourage open trade and fair competition. In addition, opponents dislike the fact that the use of PLAs means that that non-union contractors must pay dues to the union and obey their rules while working on a project. It is also argued that ~~it increases~~ costs for project owners and is unfair for the majority of workers in the construction industry who are non-unionised (recent estimates suggest ~~that to be~~ around 86%).	+	However, the use of PLAs is opposed by some on the grounds that they can discriminate against non-union workers and contractors and discourage open trade and fair competition. In addition, opponents dislike the fact that the use of PLAs means that that non-union contractors must pay dues to the union and obey their rules while working on a project. It is also argued that they increase costs for project owners and are unfair for the majority of workers in the construction industry who are non-unionised (recent estimates suggest around 86%).

	= Find out more =		= Find out more =