Who Stood With Us?

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives debated and voted upon an amendment to H.R. 4310, the Department of Defense authorization bill, that would prohibit Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on Department of Defense construction projects. 28 Republican members of the House joined Democrats in support of America's building trades members.Unfortunately, 8 Democratic members of the House did not even vote, and as a result, the amendment was approved by a vote of 211-209 - just a two vote difference.

The Democrats who did not vote were:Cardoza (CA),Costello (IL),Filner (CA),Holden (PA),Pascrell (NJ),Sanchez, Loretta (CA),Slaughter (NY), and Wasserman-Schultz (FL).Please take a moment and let them kindly know about your disappointment with their inability to make it to the House floor in support of good Union jobs.  Remind them we will be expecting them to vote with us on future votes.

In addition, please thank the following members of Congress who stood up to the GOP leadership and urge them to continue to stand with us in future PLA votes:

Cravaack (MN),Grimm (NY), Johnson (IL), Jones (NC), King (NY), Kinzinger (IL), LaTourette (OH), Lance (NJ),LoBiondo (NJ), Reichert (WA), Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Roskam (IL), Runyan (NJ), Schmidt (OH), Schock (IL), Shimkus (IL), Diaz-Balart (FL), Dold  (IL), Emerson (MO), Gibson (NY), McCotter (MI), McKinley (WV), Meehan (PA), Murphy (PA), Smith (NJ), Turner (OH), Walsh (IL) and Young (AK). 

We are anticipating another PLA vote on the floor of the House of Representatives two weeks from now.  The Military Construction appropriations bill is expected to reach the floor then.  An amendment was added in committee that would prohibit PLAs on all Military Construction projects, and we will be seeking to strike that provision from the bill when it reaches the floor.