Indiana now has a Right to Work law. Wisconsin has completely renegotiated how the government interacts with organized labor (in a more taxpayer-friendly direction). But, the folks in the “City Different” continue to live up to their name with the nation’s-highest mandated minimum wage and now a “Project Labor Agreement.”
The law is entitled “community workforce agreement,” but it does the same things as the more controversial and well-known PLA’s. The law mandates contracting with construction unions in order to work on Santa Fe city construction projects that cost more than $500,000.
A community workforce agreement is a special interest scheme that discourages competition from nonunion contractors and their workers by requiring a construction project to be awarded only to contractors and subcontractors that agree to recognize unions as the representatives of their employees on that job; use the union hall to obtain workers; obey the union’s restrictive apprenticeship and work rules; and contribute to union pension plans and other funds in which their nonunion employees will never benefit unless they join a union.
Obviously, the good folks who have controlled Santa Fe government in recent years are not concerned about economic development and freedom. Unfortunately, while David Coss was rejected in his bid for the Legislature, he remains the Mayor of Santa Fe. These policies have been adopted under his watch and with his support albeit not by him alone.
I see a lawsuit coming, possibly more than one. I will send this article to the Right to Work Legal Defense Fund to see if they want to intervene on behalf of the non-union companies who’s rights are being stolen from them by the city. Also, I will send this to the Institute for Justice to see if they will sue to overturn this discrimnatory law.
I would think that contracts should go to companies that do not use illegal immigrants. Many of the competing bids would come from these companies if the City law was changed. Isn’t there a law that requires companies that contract with municipalities to use domestic labor?
I’d be concerned that if they got rid of the law that requires unions that American Companies that follow the rules could be underbid by Companies that do not use our citizens and underpay foreign illegal workers.