The SAUSD School Board is going to vote on a controversial union-only Project Labor Agreement this Wednesday, at their regularly scheduled board meeting. This comes a week after the Santa Ana City Council unwisely passed their own PLA on large public works projects.

PLAs are the most controversial issue in the construction industry today. They have in fact been banned in 25 states and 11 entities in California.

In 2012 the 8th largest city in America, San Diego, voted 58% to 42% to ban PLAs even though PLA proponents spent $3 million to defend their boondoggle.

Considering the terrible experience the SAUSD has previously had with PLAs, something only Trustee and PLA-proponent John Palacio would remember, the question that needs to be asked is why would the Board Members be trying one again? Most likely they have forgotten what happened the last time they passed a PLA!

Don’t forget that the Rancho Santiago Community College District had nothing but headaches after they passed PLAs – with massive cost overruns and construction delays.

PLAs only benefit the unions. And 95% of the workforce in construction does not belong to unions.