Union Labor Ban Softened.

As previously reported in this column, President George W. Bush had been considering an executive order banning project labor agreements on construction projects receiving federal funds. A project labor agreement, or PLA, essentially requires that all work on a project be done by union employees or workers on a union pay scale. PLAs are turning up with increasing frequency on local projects, most notably the Alameda Corridor.

Of course, national unions vigorously opposed a ban and had threatened to sue. And open-shop contractors eagerly awaited the ban, which would have overturned a Clinton administration order requiring PLAs.

Bush did issue his executive order on Feb. 17, but instead of an outright ban on PLAs, the order took a neutral approach, neither mandating nor banning the use of PLAs.

"Government contracting decisions should be neutral, neither requiring nor prohibiting project labor agreements, seeking the highest quality at the best price to ensure that government is a responsible steward of the American people's hard-earned tax dollars," said a White House statement.

Even though not a complete ban, the order was met with enthusiasm from the Southern California chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., the trade group representing non-union contractors.

"In issuing this executive order, the Bush administration provides an equal playing field for open-shop construction," said ABC Executive Director Susan McNiel.

In a statement issued last week after word of Bush's order spread, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the nation's unions are opposed to the order and are considering whether or not to challenge it in court.