Labor Update: Branstad's Anti-Worker Agenda 

Within hours of being sworn in, Governor Branstad’s first official act as Iowa’s Chief Executive Officer was to rescind Governor Vilsack’s order that requires state officials to seriously consider using Project Labor Agreements (PLA) on major state projects.

In doing so he set the tone for an anti-worker agenda for his administration. The GOP-controlled House then wasted no time in passing legislation (HF 45) that severely cuts education, health and human services to lard on tax breaks for corporations.

A few details you need to understand about PLAs is first and foremost, they create good jobs for workers. This is not a crime, and Iowa taxpayers shouldn’t balk at funding job creation that makes no worker rich, but provides ample wages and benefits so a person performing hard – and skilled – labor can earn a livable wage. To get an idea of what paying prevailing wages mean, go to gpo.gov/davisbacon/IA.   You’ll see a list of jobs and federal guidelines for pay rates.

Under a PLA, contractors are not obliged to hire union workers. Most, however, choose to hire the quality of work offered by trained journeymen who promise superior work.

Another advantage of a PLA is they guarantee no cost overruns to the State. Contractors bidding on public procurement contracts are often incomplete and change after the contract is awarded to the winning bidder. The initial bid is often underestimated in order for the contractor to be “competitive” and thus be awarded the contract. If there is no PLA in place, a contractor can revise, revise, revise that cost up as the contract unfolds, and taxpayers are left to foot the difference regardless of the initial award.  

PLAs are not just a government tool. Corporations like General Motors, British Petroleum, Walt Disney and Toyota have also used them. Enormous projects like the Trans Alaska Pipeline utilize PLAs because of their predictability over the life of extremely complex projects.

There’s also the issue of safety. PLAs ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, and equal employment opportunity. Conservatives may like to call this “government intrusion” or interference. But there’s nothing funny about maintaining safety or precluding discrimination based on race or gender.

Rescinding this order should be very telling of the types of jobs created when Governor Branstad promised during his campaign to create 200,000 jobs in Iowa. If he succeeds in laying off 1,500 state employees, he’ll be sliding even further backwards on that promise.
 
Tracy
Kurowski is currently AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison at the United
Way of the Quad City Area. She has been active in the labor movement
for ten years, first as a member of AFSCME 3506, when she taught adult
education classes at the City Colleges of Chicago. She moved to the
Quad Cities in 2007 where she worked as political coordinator with the
Quad City Federation of Labor, and as a caseworker for Congressman
Bruce Braley from 2007 – 2009.