Rowdy Unionists Shout Down Opponents

Yesterday in Harrisburg, rowdy unionists disrupted a rally held by two Pennsylvania state legislators to promote legislation to end project labor agreements (PLAs), which put nonunion contractors at a sever disadvantage, on state construction projects.  Under a PLA, an open shop contractor could be required to employ workers from union hiring halls, acquire apprentices from union apprentice programs, and require employees to pay union dues. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “testy exchanges and pushing and shoving followed” the press conference. Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Adam Cole says that he and his colleagues “overheard union members mentioning that they were being paid $26 an hour to protest.

For more on project labor agreements, see here.