DC Laborers Speak Out for PLA

"The training I got through my union was great," says DC resident Daniel Royal, "as soon as I finished training I got a job." Royal, 26, a construction worker in the District and the father of three children, is joining DC workers and labor leaders speaking out in support of the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) that's once again under attack from non-union contractors. A new website, We Build the Stadium, says that under the PLA, "construction of the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium has provided more opportunity for jobs and advancement for District residents than any public project in the city's recent history." Metro Council President Jos Williams has also sent a letter to DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, City Council, the Sports and Entertainment Commission and members of the PLA Task Force dispelling myths and "deliberately misleading information" about the effects of the PLA. Noting that "91% of all new apprentices working on the stadium have been District residents," the website, sponsored by Laborers Local 657, urges "Let's keep a good thing going for District families and provides links to Sunday's letter to the editor in the Washington Post, as well as a Stadium Factsheet and a link to email the Mayor.