The PLA vote occurred despite vigorous opposition from local contractors and contractor associations such as ours.

PLAs force workers to pay union dues, pay into union pension plans, be hired through a union hiring hall, and explicitly forbid non-union apprentices from working at all. PLAs are so controversial that they have been banned in 11 entities in California including the City of San Diego where in June citizens voted 58%-42% to forbid them.

At the time of their vote in 2003 the College's own construction manager told the Board a PLA would add 5-15% to the cost of any project. Last summer the most comprehensive study on PLAs ever conducted was released by the National University System Institute for Policy Research and found PLAs add 13-15% to the cost of a project. What that means for the SCCD was their $164 million bond was reduced by up to $24 million in value.

"Now SCCD wants another bond, this time for $350 million." said CFEC's Eric Christen. "The reason? Measure G wasn't large enough to cover their needs. Do you think they could have used that extra $24 million they wasted under a PLA?"

At tonight's meeting Christen will educate voters about why they might want to think twice about giving this Board more money until it assures them it will place workers and taxpayers ahead of union bosses. Christen's most recent editorial regarding this waste of taxpayer funds was published this Sunday in The Reporter and can be read here.

The meeting begins at 6:30pm and will be held at the VALLEJO CENTER - LECTURE HALL ROOM 136 located at 545 Columbus Parkway in Vallejo.

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