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Just One Michigan Republican Votes for Labor Union Monopoly Over Government Construction Work
Michigan Capitol Confidential ^ | 6/22/2011 | Ken Braun

Posted on 06/23/2011 7:04:09 AM PDT by MichCapCon

Big Labor bosses seeking protection from non-union competition on government construction jobs had a two-front fight going on last week in both Washington, D.C., and Lansing. Votes to determine the fate of project labor agreements occurred in both the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and the GOP-dominated Michigan Senate. When it was all over, a total of 34 Republican lawmakers from Michigan had cast votes on these legislative battlefields, and just one voted on the side of the labor unions to protect PLAs: Congressman Thad McCotter, R-Livonia.

“A PLA is little more than a mechanism to put non-union construction companies at an unfair disadvantage, and steer government work to unions,” said Paul Kersey, director of labor policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “If a company wants to bid on a contract, it has to have an agreement with the local unions. Obviously that puts non-union companies in a difficult position.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 14 percent of the U.S. construction workforce is unionized.

(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: labor; livonia; mccotter; michigan; thadmccotter; unions

1 posted on 06/23/2011 7:04:15 AM PDT by MichCapCon
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To: MichCapCon

So perfect yet so wrong.


2 posted on 06/23/2011 7:08:38 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: MichCapCon
When it was all over, a total of 34 Republican lawmakers from Michigan had cast votes on these legislative battlefields, and just one voted on the side of the labor unions to protect PLAs: Congressman Thad McCotter, R-Livonia.

From his wiki:

McCotter is a member of both the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership and the conservative Republican Study Committee.

In May 2007, House Minority Leader John Boehner labeled a bill by House Democrats aimed at stopping energy price gouging "as pointless political pandering."[1] McCotter and 55 other Republicans voted for the bill.

3 posted on 06/23/2011 7:08:44 AM PDT by arderkrag (Georgia is God's Country.----------In the same way Rush is balance, I am consensus.)
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To: MichCapCon
Big Labor bosses seeking protection from non-union competition on government construction jobs...

Corruption. Sure does sound sleazy and unAmerican to me.

4 posted on 06/23/2011 7:15:43 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (When the going gets tough, the tough check themselves into "rehab".)
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To: cripplecreek

Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t a lot of politicos on all levels vote contrary to what one would expect when a bill is going to pass overwhelmingly as not to tick off the base?

McCotter seems to do this repeatedly.


5 posted on 06/23/2011 7:51:39 AM PDT by quantim (Victory is not relative, it is absolute.)
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To: quantim

Well he is a Livonia rep.

I’m not in his district but I’m guessing I would vote for him simply because he’s as good as its going to get in the current situation.


6 posted on 06/23/2011 8:15:38 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: cripplecreek

His district is 876 yards from me.

Even after redistricting I’m still in the extreme NE corner of the 7th and McCotter’s border in this part didn’t change.

During election time this place is littered with McCotter signs even though no one can vote for him LOL.


7 posted on 06/23/2011 8:27:21 AM PDT by quantim (Victory is not relative, it is absolute.)
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To: quantim

I think redistricting is going to solidify the 7th district. I know that Calhoun county was Mark Schauer’s stronghold in the last election and now we’ve shed ourselves of that.

My sister lives in McCotter’s district and she and her ultra liberal husband hate him with a passion.


8 posted on 06/23/2011 8:35:02 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: quantim

From the article:

“This is the second time this year that Rep. McCotter has been on the deciding edge of a vote that promoted PLAs on government projects. In February, another amendment to a different budget would have banned the use of PLAs on federal construction projects. That proposal failed on a 210-210 tie vote. Once again, there were 26 Republicans — including McCotter — standing with Democrats to defend the president’s policy of keeping the PLA requirement in place.”


9 posted on 06/23/2011 11:20:02 AM PDT by MichCapCon
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

“Thad McCotter, R-Livonia”

Thanks MichCapCon.


10 posted on 06/23/2011 5:55:38 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
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