By Patty Hapanowicz

The Department of Defense’s recent decision to suspend project labor agreements on large-scale construction projects is short-sighted and does not have the taxpayers’ best interest in mind.

By removing PLA requirements from federally funded construction projects valued at more than $35 million, the DOD is removing a reliable tool that ensures the successful and timely completion of taxpayer funded work.

Regardless of leadership within the Department of Defense, we should all agree, that public projects should serve the public in every sense and Project Labor Agreements do that. PLAs are agreements between all stakeholders in a project: the worker, the contractor, and the end user that set the terms for the project.

This ensures the job is completed on time and of the highest quality. PLAs also guarantee a skilled and local workforce that is paid fair wages and benefits.

For decades, federal construction projects have relied on PLAs, ensuring that major infrastructure and defense-related undertakings are completed on time and within budget.

These agreements set clear labor terms and conditions upfront, reducing the risk of cost overruns and settling any work disputes that may arise promptly with minimum disruption.

Research has consistently shown that PLAs promote competition, giving both union and nonunion contractors a chance to bid fairly under the same set of terms and conditions.

They also assist in pulling superior talent by ensuring that wages, benefits, and safety protections are up to area standards.

PLAs are especially important for the Department of Defense because when it comes to critical defense infrastructure, workers should be vetted and highly trained.

PLAs create an avenue for a pre-screened and security cleared labor force, reducing any possible chance of foul play.

DOD projects have an added layer of importance as they could potentially be necessary for national defense and could be mission critical.

This means there is additional pressure to ensure these projects are completed on schedule. PLAs help guarantee timely work by establishing clear workforce standards and a large enough workforce to prevent any possible issues jeopardizing the projects timeline, and our military preparedness.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has put the matter plainly: PLAs are good for national security because they make defense construction projects more reliable and secure.

That standard should apply across the DOD and, by extension, the entire federal government. Instead, the DOD is veering in the opposite direction, but it is not too late to change course.

PLAs have long been a bipartisan solution for managing large-scale projects efficiently while also supporting American workers.

They were used, for example, on large infrastructure projects like the Hoover Dam and major military construction projects like the Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee.

They guarantee something fundamental: that the large, complex construction projects the federal government undertakes will be completed on time and with the highest quality labor.

If the goal of this administration is to make the government more efficient, then eliminating PLAs is an error that will cost the American taxpayers more money and leave workers operating in a less safe working environment.

Patty Hapanowicz,

Industry & Media Relations manager

Carpenter Contractor Trust, Philadelphia