In New Hampshire, where only 8.7 percent of construction workers are unionized, a $35 million federal construction project comes with union strings attached. The Labor Department will employ a "project labor agreement" on its plan to build a new Job Corps Center in Manchester. Union representation will be mandated on the project, and nonunion employees will be forced to pay dues and contribute to a union pension fund.
Sen. Judd Gregg, New Hampshire Republican, said the scarcity of local unionized workers and a separate requirement that contractors must have completed three previous successful PLA projects to qualify to bid will essentially prevent local firms from competing for the Manchester project.
"The administration's decision to discriminate against successful and independent construction firms simply because New Hampshire employees choose to work in a union-free workplace and not bow down to the demands of Big Labor is extremely unfair to our state," the senator said, calling on the administration to revoke the PLA.
"In a time of economic hardship, it is simply absurd to discriminate against local contractors and construction workers for the benefit of national labor unions," he added.
According to Brett McMahon of Miller & Long Co. Inc., which is the country's largest concrete subcontractor and the largest employer of construction workers in the Mid-Atlantic region, unions are exploiting workers.
"In order to go to work, you have to pay for it," Mr. McMahon said.
It certainly fits the Obama style.
NH has proved folks who are willing to tell White House "Thanks, but no thanks!"
Where's the part where the "Free" Federal "projects" are denied access to NH by the State "leadership", or currently un/under employed construction trades workers that know how to use pitchforks and scythes?
Wonder where those out-of-state AFL-CIO associated construction companies (Mass./R.I. come immediately to mind) are going to get fuel for their equipment? Sorry, we need all we got for heat, what with the predicted long cold winter this year- due to "climate change".
I've worked the "Right To Work State" scam in New York. All the "privilege" means is higher costs for the end user, and of course, while dues and (market based) pension are manditory, insurance wasn't part of the deal. But, then again, that was with the same union folks that Michael Moore avoided using for his latest Anti-Capitalist box office bomb.
Posted by: CaptDMO | October 08, 2009 at 08:20 PM