{"id":29966,"date":"2025-04-13T03:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T10:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/trades-group-sues-federal-government-over-pla-exemption\/"},"modified":"2025-04-13T03:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T10:35:14","slug":"trades-group-sues-federal-government-over-pla-exemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/trades-group-sues-federal-government-over-pla-exemption\/","title":{"rendered":"Trades group sues federal government over PLA exemption"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><\/p>\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/static\/images\/audio_icon.svg?482016190122\" alt=\"-\"><\/p>\n<p>        Listen to the article<br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">4 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dmgi9movl\/video\/upload\/q_1\/v1744303623\/news\/text_to_speech\/nabtu-sues-dod-gsa-pla-executive-order_hn2j6b.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">feedback<\/a>.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"standard-heading\"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dive Brief:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>A construction union group filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Wednesday against two federal agencies and their chiefs for <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/69864612\/1\/north-americas-building-trades-unions-v-department-of-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>ignoring a still-in-effect executive order<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> from former President Joe Biden requiring project labor agreements on some federal jobs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>North America\u2019s Building Trades Unions asked the court to enjoin the Department of Defense and the General Services Administration from foregoing PLA use, as the Biden-era order remains on the books.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Since President Donald Trump took office, he has enacted a flurry of executive orders undoing many Biden-era policies, and in January a judge <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/judge-rules-against-pla-mandate-biden\/738338\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>severely weakened the case<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> for the federal government to use PLAs, but NABTU argues that the original order is still in effect.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"standard-heading\"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dive Insight:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>A Feb. 7 notice from the DOD ordered contracting officers to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/dod-plas-halted-federal-contracts-infrastructure-usace\/739903\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>halt the use of PLAs on large-scale construction<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> projects. Then, on Feb. 12, the GSA issued an internal memo claiming a \u201cclass exemption\u201d from Biden\u2019s PLA requirement.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Both the GSA and the DOD told Construction Dive they do not comment on ongoing litigation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>NABTU argues no such exemptions could exist while the executive order remains, and that such policies hurt the members of the organization that benefit from PLAs. In addition to the agencies, the suit names DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting GSA Administrator Stephen Ehikian as defendants.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Trump has not repealed Executive Order 14063, the one Biden penned requiring PLAs, despite taking action to discourage the use of them and other collective bargaining agreements. Indeed, one Trump order from March 14 targets <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/trump-executive-order-plas-unions\/743292\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>PLAs in its guidance for federal rulemaking<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span>, but does not revoke the rule itself.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>In December 2023, the Biden administration announced the implementation of an <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/pla-mandate-biden-federal-contracts\/702914\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>executive order requiring PLAS on federal construction<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> jobs of $35 million or more. The move, by the self-proclaimed most pro-labor president in history, was decried by employer groups, and faced lawsuits seeking its repeal.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Then in January 2025, a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge found the implementation of the mandate on seven contract procedures in 2024 ignored federal agencies\u2019 own research indicating <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/judge-rules-against-pla-mandate-biden\/738338\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>PLAs would be anti-competitive<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> and relied on \u201carbitrary and capricious\u201d presidential policy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Though that case supplied the means for other employers to file similar motions, it only applied to the seven contracts involved in the original complaint.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Associated Builders and Contractors, which had originally sued the Biden administration seeking to remove Executive Order 14063, released a statement Thursday <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.org\/News-Media\/News-Releases\/abc-denounces-special-interests-for-suing-trump-administration-to-block-fair-and-open-competition\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>decrying NABTU\u2019s suit.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cABC supports the Trump administration\u2019s exemption of projects critical to America\u2019s national security from these rules,\u201d said Kristen Swearingen, ABC vice president of government affairs. \u201cWe urge the administration to take a step further and fully rescind former President Joe Biden\u2019s Executive Order 14063 implementing PLA mandates.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Swearingen said removing the executive order would eliminate the basis for NABTU\u2019s case.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/nabtu-pla-executive-order-lawsuit\/745038\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. 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Dive &#8230; <a title=\"Trades group sues federal government over PLA exemption\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/trades-group-sues-federal-government-over-pla-exemption\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Trades group sues federal government over PLA exemption\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[457],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-dive","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}