Judge blocks enforcement ban on project labor agreements

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge on Wednesday blocked enforcement of President Bush's executive order barring project labor agreements on federally funded contracts.

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said the president "lacked the requisite authority" when he issued the order in February banning the labor agreements.

Project labor agreements are pre-hire agreements between an employer and unions that set wages, benefits and hiring conditions. In exchange, unions agree to provide a continuous work force and promise not to strike.

The Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO sued the Bush administration, claiming the executive order violated the rights of employers and unions protected by the National Labor Relations Act. The judge agreed the executive order is pre-empted by the act.

"It's widely known that project labor agreements bring order to construction sites," said Sullivan.

, president of the Building and Construction Trades Departments, in a statement. "PLAs are a proven and just method to manage construction labor relations."

Agreements have been used on federal projects since the 1930s, including the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington, NASA facilities at Cape Canaveral in Florida and clean up work at Boston Harbor. More than 300 agreements are operating now, including in Boston and Seattle, Sullivan said.