Construction association disappointed in regents vote

IOWA CITY -- An Iowa construction trade association says it's disappointed in last week's state Board of Regents vote to use a project labor agreement on an upcoming $72 million project at the University of Iowa.

Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa on Monday released a statement from President and CEO Greg Spenner calling Thursday's board vote partisan. The regents voted 5-3, along party lines with one member missing, to approve a project labor agreement for the new University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics outpatient clinic at the Iowa River Landing site in Coralville.

Project labor agreements are blatantly discriminatory, Spenner said in the statement, as the language prohibits merit shop contractors from being able to use all of their own workers, making it impossible for them to bid on a project.

"PLAs, which are contract agreements written by union bosses, are designed to ensure that projects are awarded only to unionized contractors," Spenner said in the statement.

Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa is a nonprofit construction trade association representing about 450 construction and related merit shop contractors. Merit shop contractors don't use union workers.

A project labor agreement is a collective bargaining agreement, negotiated between the project owner and local unions, that defines the terms and conditions of employment. Gov. Chet Culver issued an executive order directing state agencies to consider using such agreements for construction projects of more than $25 million.

The five regents who are democrats voted for the project labor agreement. The three regents voting no are all registered republicans, with one member absent from the meeting.

"This is blatant discrimination and the Culver cronies on the Board of Regents took this partisan action under direct pressure from Governor Culver," Spenner said in his statement.

Regents President David Miles of West Des Moines said after Thursday's meeting that a project labor agreement is designed to ensure quality workmanship and timely delivery on complex projects.