Last Sunday, the headline from the Tennessean read "Unions shrink but stay active." Although the article focused on the use of union labor on Nashville’s convention center project currently underway, it provided a glimpse of the bigger picture of what is happening with labor groups in the construction industry.
In Tennessee, the
The Obama administration is scheduled to issue a final rule today that allows federal agencies to require public contractors to use public labor agreements (PLA) on large public construction projects. PLAs are collective bargaining agreements that establish the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project. They have been used on private jobs, as well as state