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Senate hearing on bill to bar mandated project labor agreements draws labor and contractor split
Summary
Senate Bill 88, which would prohibit state agencies from requiring project labor agreements (PLAs) on state-funded construction projects, received divided testimony Wednesday with construction trade groups and merit-shop contractors supporting the bill and unions and allied groups opposing it.
Sen. Regina Bartzell, sponsor of Senate Bill 88, told the Commerce Committee that the bill would protect small, nonunion construction businesses from what she described as federal "mandates" that funnel work to a minority of unionized firms. "The New Hampshire construction labor force is over 90% nonunion," Bartzell said, arguing that government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) can "increase the cost of construction up to 20%."
The bill would bar state agencies from requiring a PLA as a condition of bidding on state-funded projects while leaving open the ability of contractors to enter PLAs privately.
Supporters of SB 88 said the measure preserves open competition and…
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