Bush Takes on Unions

Part 1: Promotes "fair and open" competition, says White House

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President Bush on Feb. 17, 2001, issued four executive orders overturning Clinton Administration policies considered favorable to labor unions involved in government-contracted projects.

One order requires federal contractors to notify their workers that they have a right to not have a portion of their union dues contributed to political campaigns.

The other three orders are designed to to allow for "fair and open" competition for government contracts, according to White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

Fleisher said the orders issued Saturday would save taxpayers money by encouraging competition between union and non-union companies for lucrative government contracts. 

"Government contracting decisions should be neutral, neither requiring nor prohibiting project labor agreements," Said Fleischer "Government contracting should also be fair and open to ensure that all workers can compete for jobs on a level playing field as well as contractors, particularly small, minority or women-owned businesses."

Specifically, the orders prohibits government-mandated, union-only project labor agreements (PLAs) on federally funded construction projects. The PLAs, created during the Clinton Administration, allowed states to require only unionized contractors to bid on federally funded projects.

Reversal of the PDA policy was hailed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. who called the action as a "major step toward securing fairness and equal opportunity for all U.S. construction workers," in a Feb. 18, 2001 press release.

PLAs have been opposed by several groups including taxpayer, small business, and women's and minority builders as wasteful and discriminatory. The National Black Chamber of Commerce referred to PLAs as "de facto segregation" because of their negative impact on African-American workers. 

Specifically, the four orders issued by President Bush on Feb. 17, 2001:

1. Require federal contractors to inform all workers of their rights not to have a portion of their union dues used to sponsor election campaigns or other political activities.
   
   
2. Prohibited Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) requiring contactors on federally funded projects to be unionized.
   
   
3. Deactivated the National Partnership Council, create by President Clinton to encourage cooperation between unions and government agencies.
   
   
4. Overturned the Clinton Administration's job protection policy for employees of contractors working on federal buildings when the contract award is changed during the course of the project.

 

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