ABC members can cast their vote to prohibit government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects via a new website called YouCut.  Members and interested parties can either vote online or by texting YouCut4 to 68398.  

The YouCut website, launched May 12 by House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), each week features a list of projects that that would scale back Congressional spending and invites anyone to vote for the initiative they think should be eliminated.   

The elimination of government-mandated PLAs on federal construction projects, which are encouraged in President Obama’s Executive Order 13502, is listed as the number four option on YouCut this week to potentially be brought to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote after the July 4 recess.  Since PLAs have been shown to increase construction costs by between 10 and 20 percent, prohibiting the use of PLAs on federal construction projects could save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.   

“Lawmakers have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure government projects are constructed in the most cost effective manner possible," said Congresswoman Mary Fallin (R-Okla.), who submitted this idea to the YouCut program. "With the federal government facing record deficits and the construction industry already suffering from more than 20 percent unemployment, this is a solution that will eliminate waste and create employment opportunities for skilled and qualified workers.” 

According to a September 2009 study by The Beacon Hill Institute, PLAs significantly increase construction costs on federal projects without adding benefits for taxpayers. The study found that if President Obama’s Executive Order 13502 were in effect in 2008, federal construction costs would have increased by as much as $2.6 billion. Americans can expect greater levels of waste in 2010 and 2011 due to increased construction spending because of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.  

For more information and to vote for eliminating government-mandated PLAs on federal construction projects, visit the YouCut website or text YouCut4 to 68398.     

You can learn more about government-mandated PLAs and the benefits of this YouCut proposal at www.TheTruthAboutPLAs.com or www.facebook.com/TheTruthAboutPLAs.