MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Republicans moved a bill that would prohibit local governments from requiring collective bargaining agreements on public projects one step closer to becoming law Thursday, despite outcries from Democrats branding the measure as another attack on unions.
The Assembly on Thursday voted on party lines to prohibit state and local governments from requiring contractors bidding on public projects to enter into collective bargaining agreements called project labor agreements, or PLAs. The bill, which passed the Senate last month, now goes to Gov. Scott Walker, who included it in his budget proposal.
“It absolutely stuns me that Republicans are showing their true priorities, making it harder for workers and making it harder for Wisconsin businesses,” Democratic Minority Leader Rep. Peter Barca said.
Supporters of the bill dispute that characterization, saying it gives non-union firms more opportunities to bid on public projects and local governments more options.
“We’re not really passing these to restrict the power of unions,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said. “It’s making sure we have freedom for the workers and freedom for the taxpayers.”
PLAs are used to establish rules controlling work on a project upfront, such as setting hours or safety requirements or requiring workers to join a union.
Sponsor Rep. Rob Hutton said governments shouldn’t require nor prohibit such agreements. While private companies routinely use them, few local governments in Wisconsin do.
But Democratic Rep. Tod Ohnstad said removing the option will drive down quality and diminish local control.
“The net effect of this bill, unfortunately, will be to reduce wages in our construction industry, outsource more of this work to out-of-state contractors and - once again - take away local control,” Ohnstad, a member of the Assembly labor committee, said.
Republican rejected Democrats’ last-ditch efforts to amend the bill. The several amendments offered would have required bidders to give preference to business owned by minorities or hiring veterans, among other things.
“Veterans are not some political gotcha,” Republican Rep. Dale Kooyenga said after Democratic Rep. Katrina Shankland said supporters of veterans should vote for an amendment that helps them.
The final vote was 64-35. More than 20 other states have passed similar legislation. The bill’s language closely mirrors that of a sample policy prepared by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a nonprofit that pushes free market legislation.
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