Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Big gift for Big Labor?

Details

  • Description

    New Jersey Senate passes bill blocking non-union construction workers from Sandy projects

  • Duration 3:38
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Latest News

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

-- new concerns today that politics could be getting in the way of super storm sandy clean up.

And costing the taxpayers more money than necessary.

As the New Jersey State Senate passes a bill that would restrict some of the standing relief funds.

Only T union groups passing up some potentially cheaper options.

-- -- LC is the work.

Kirby Wu is the northeast regional vice chair of the associated builders and contractors union Kirby thanks for being here so.

Being that you apparently in New Jersey and they are already have something on the books that protects.

-- that make sure funds go to the union groups and certain projects but it.

It it didn't cover highways bridges pumping stations and water and sewage treatment plans and now they say that's all covered.

So now if you want to clean up to super storm sandy.

In New Jersey you basically have to -- the union shop to do it -- I have my facts right.

While -- -- new Jersey's definitely promoting the use of what's called a project labor agreement which is going to push.

Contractors to force to be forced to use union only workers on the contract.

And that's gonna preclude about 77%.

Of contractors in New Jersey who elect and choose to be non -- they will be discriminated against.

So this is past the new Jersey's senate along party lines and what it'll -- consequences of this to the New Jersey.

-- to the taxpayers who are finding this relief I mean if the US taxpayer who offered this.

In total sixty billion dollars of aid to hurricane sandy victims.

What would you when you reduce competition by 77%.

It's definitely -- -- increased cost increase the cost of reconstruction.

It's gonna reduce the amount of projects that can be.

Corrected in due to hurricane sandy and it's going to be higher costs for new New Jersey -- it's a lose lose all around how is your business affected.

-- where -- shop company we do a lot of projects for a public sector and -- federal government sector and we would also be precluded from.

Participating in -- in this work.

Necessarily we're not in favor of project labor agreements.

Of any sorts we believe an open competition.

For everybody.

You tend to be cheaper than -- -- -- sometimes we see that because unions you know they they can be pretty expensive for companies.

Given their you know.

Union their labor agreements and all the things that they managed to extract from management.

But the fact is that it.

But what a project is federally funded it -- we already have to pay Davis bacon wages which is based off of union wages.

So there's no need to add additional restrictions that forces contractors to use union only labor they should be open to everybody.

-- wait so that is a that you wouldn't be cheaper is that what -- Johnny you guys would be no cheaper than a union job.

So why why wouldn't they -- give preference to union if that's their state you know but that's the way to state -- Well because the competition's going to be -- do so even though we pay the same rates as union contractors would pay.

Simply by reducing the amount of competition.

You're gonna have fewer contractors pursuing the same amount -- war.

As this basic economics when you have fewer people pursuing the same amount of work the cost is gonna go up.

Now is this likely to be signed into law by governor Chris Christie was not exactly a huge pro union guys.

Well we certainly hope Christie is not gonna sign this into law that he will be -- the bill that is our hope that we're going to be pushing.

Four Christie to you know vetoed any project labor agreements on her case sandy -- But that's yet to be seen we will watch it -- you will thank you very much for being here.

Thank you.

Load More