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|  | June 17, 1999 DJC readers vote no on use of PLAsBy RAGAN WILLISJournal Staff Reporter The debate over project labor agreements is heating up as bidding time draws closer for work on Sound Transit's regional transportation project and the Port of Seattle's airport expansion. If DJC readers had their druthers, PLAs -- which require that all contracts or subcontracts be awarded only to contractors who agree to recognize a designated union as the representative of employees on that job -- would apparently be outlawed. A recent DJC readers poll asked if Sound Transit should use PLAs for construction of its $4 billion rail system. A total of 190 respondents answered no, compared to 50 who voted yes. The Sound Transit Board was scheduled to address the issue at its June 24 meeting, but that discussion was delayed until later this summer after several board members said they need more time to mull over the pros and cons, according to Sound Transit Spokesperson Denny Fleenor.
Allan Darr, a lobbyist for the pro-union Washington State Trades Union Council, said large public projects, including Safeco Field and the new football stadium, use PLAs because they work well for the owner and the contractor. Ken Johnson, executive director of the Public Facilities District -- the agency that oversaw construction on Safeco Field -- says he is pleased with the results of using a PLA. "Overall, it was a good experience," he said. "No one can assume a PLA is a guarantee for no labor issues, but it does provide a mechanism to deal with them." Johnson said the public facilities district used a PLA for two reasons: the non-strike provisions provided by the agreement and the opportunity for apprenticeship training. "We felt that how we could structure an apprenticeship training program under a PLA made sense," he said. "And in fact, our program has been very successful, exceeding our expectations." Johnson did say that PLAs need some fine-tuning, and expects that the agreements will be slightly altered for future projects, including the new football stadium.
Sound Transit Board Vice Chair and Edmonds City Councilmember David Earling said he believes that PLAs may be a trusty vehicle for delivering a project on time. However, he says he is still undecided on the issue. "My main objective is to strike a good balance between labor and contractor needs," he said. "I imagine everyone is going to have to give a little bit in this debate." Sound Transit is required to consider PLAs as part of a resolution passed by the agency prior to submitting its initial ballot to voters in 1996. Fleenor said there is a possibility that PLAs may be instituted for parts of the project, such as for work to build the light rail system in Seattle, Tacoma, or both. DJC reader Ron Roberts, who voted yes on PLAs, agreed with Darr and Johnson that the agreements ensure stability during construction. That assurance is crucial for public agencies managing tax dollars, he added. Readers on both sides of the issue bring up the issue of public money. Chris Buchanan of Charter Construction voted no on PLAs, saying that workers have a right to bid on any project that is funded by their own tax dollars. Public authorities using PLAs "cheat all non-union workers from participating in work that we are paying for," he said. Able Wright and Co. President Ronda Mitch refuted arguments that PLAs help boost women and minority-owned business enterprises. Most women- and minority-owned construction businesses are open-shop, she said. Since most open-shop firms would decline to bid on a project using PLAs, the agreements hinder WMBE firms from participating in many major projects. Other readers opposed to PLAs said that not only do they increase construction costs, they are also discriminatory. "[PLAs] will increase the cost of construction needlessly by limiting the number of bidders and restricting bidding to union firms or those few open-shop companies willing to sign a project labor agreement," wrote Jack Rafn of Rafn Co. "Restricting workers to those hired from union halls will discriminate against the 75 percent of workers in Washington who chose to work open shop, Rafn added."
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