[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2012

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                               speech of

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 2, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2055) making 
     appropriations for military construction, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes:

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the 
LaTourette amendment and of the thousands of American workers, 
contractors and small businesses that benefit from the use of Project 
Labor Agreements.
  Created by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, Project Labor 
Agreements, or PLAs, allow construction workers to enter into a 
collective bargaining agreement that establishes the terms and 
conditions of employment for all workers on a construction project.
  Project Labor Agreements are cost effective and pro-business. They 
are used in every State on private- and public-sector construction 
projects. Fortune 500 companies such as Wal-Mart, Toyota, and Boeing 
praise and use PLAs because they provide contractors with a reliable 
and uninterrupted supply of trained workers at predictable costs for 
wages and benefits.
  PLAs provide uniform working conditions and rules on construction 
sites, thereby making the work site safer while businesses benefit by 
paying less in worker compensation and avoid project delays due to the 
lessened risk of job site accidents.
  PLAs encourage the employment of local residents, ensuring that these 
workers' paychecks will be spent in the local community. PLAs can also 
be used as a way to enhance the work opportunities of military veterans 
and underrepresented communities.
  PLAs have been used for the construction of some of our Nation's most 
iconic building projects, including the Coulee Dam in Washington State, 
the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
  PLAs represent the best of what can happen when labor and business 
come together.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support American 
workers and businesses and vote in favor of the LaTourette amendment.

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