FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2010
CONTACT:
GREG SPENNER (515) 681-6100
SANDRA JAQUES (515) 321-8358
***MEDIA RELEASE***
ABC of Iowa Very Disappointed in the Board of Regents Decision to Negotiate Project Labor Agreement for Clinic
DES MOINES – ABC of Iowa released the following statement from Greg Spenner, ABC of Iowa President & CEO, regarding the Board of Regents decision yesterday to direct the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the construction of the new outpatient clinic at the Iowa River Landing site in Coralville.
“We are very disappointed in the 5-4 partisan vote taken by the Regents on Thursday, June 10, 2010 to negotiate a PLA for the new outpatient clinic at Iowa River Landing in Coralville, IA. PLAs are blatantly discriminatory as the language prohibits merit shop contractors from being able to bid on the projects and use all of their own workers. PLAs, which are contract agreements written by union bosses are designed to ensure that projects are awarded only to unionized contractors. In Iowa, 8 out of 10 construction workers have chosen not to join a construction labor union. A union negotiated contract, such as the one the five democrat members of the Board of Regents are trying to force on the University of Iowa, specifically prevents such a large majority of Iowa’s construction workforce from working on a project. This is blatant discrimination and the Culver cronies on the Board of Regents took this partisan action under direct pressure from Governor Culver who signed an executive order earlier this year requiring state agencies to consider using these discriminatory agreements. Iowans deserve leaders who do not make decisions simply meant to reward political donors. In this case, Big Labor is the winner, at the expense of the majority of Iowa workers - - hard working, tax paying citizens who have chosen not to join a union. Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa requests the five democrat members on the Board of Regents to put an end to this discrimination, stand up for hard-working Iowans, and reject what will be a union-written project labor agreement.”
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ABC of Iowa is a statewide association representing approximately 550 merit shop construction and construction related firms. Visit us at www.abciowa.org