Some Doubt Phase 2 Will Ever Be Built
Washington Post outlines how money, politics and labor agreement may doom second part of Rail to Dulles.
With a meeting between stakeholders in Rail to Dulles and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood coming up on Wednesday, The Washington Post takes a look at just how far off the tracks Phase 2 of the project has become.
Among the problems: politics, as LaHood and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will be out of office soon. LaHood, who helped negotiate a deal last fall on how to finance the second phase of the project, has said he plans to retire at the end of the year. McDonnell’s term expires in January 2014 — not even a year after the second phase of the project is expected to begin construction, which could take five years.
Phase 2 of the project, set to run from Reston's Wiehle Avenue to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County, was scheduled to be completed in 2016.
Also a sticking point: the project labor agreement. Loudoun Supervisor Matthew Letorneau (R-Dulles) told The Post the board of supervisors views the pro-union project labor agreement as a “deal-breaker.”
Loudoun’s portion of the construction bill is more than $200 million, plus another $11 million a year after 2018 to help subsidize operating costs.
“There is a very legitimate and real chance that this project might not go forward,” he said.
Loudoun has until July 4 to decide on its participation.
HardHatMommy
10:39 am on Monday, April 30, 2012
It's almost like MWAA doesn't want the project to get to Loudoun. Why else would they turn away from Virginia and Loudoun County money? Why are they so hell bent on keeping the PLA preference? Why not proceed just as they did with Phase 1 and stay out of the issue altogether? In Phase 1, 40% of the workforce was union and signed a voluntary PLA with Bechtel. What was so wrong with that? Why is MWAA insisting on giving a preference to contractors who promise to use a PLA? Is that a tactic to make sure Bechtel has a leg up on the competition? Why not put the emphasis on delivering the best quality project at the lowest possible price? Why do some think it is okay for MWAA to discriminate against the 97.4% of our state’s construction workforce that is non-union? There are definitely still more questions than answers out there when it comes to MWAA and this project.
The Convict
3:36 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
How is anybody discriminating against 97.4% of the COMMONWEALTH's construction force? Any member of the construction force is free to join the union.
Jeff Barnett
3:59 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
Virginia remains a right-to-work state. No one has to join a union to work on Phase II of Dulles Rail. Whether a person belongs to a union or a firm is unionized is irrelevant.
The entire PLA issue is a smokescreen by opponents of Dulles Rail.
We must always remember that Rail to Dulles connects our Nation's capitol by rail with its international airport. Rail to Dulles is a legitimate federal responsibility.
However, Congressman Frank Wolf got ZERO federal funds for Phase 2 of the project. ZERO federal funds for LOUDOUN COUNTY. As a result, Loudoun and Fairfax commuters and taxpayers must pick up the entire cost of the rail link.
Bob Bruhns
1:19 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
I really thought MWAA would have thrown the PLA under the bus by now. But friends tell me that Democrats are far more dedicated to unions than I think.
I can't decide if I think that MWAA is just weak and ignorant, and getting pushed around by construction companies and consultants, or whether they are simply crooked, and are participating the robbery. But either way, I think we need to take the keys away from these rather bad drivers, if we want this job done right.
The Convict
3:37 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
Great, Bob. So, just how is the Commonwealth supposed to wrest control of the project from the MWAA since, after all, the DTR, the Access highway and the Silver line thoroughfare all are on property controlled by the MWAA?
Michael
1:51 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
I also would have thought they'd abandon the PLA by now. This in spite of the falsehoods making the rounds.
The truth is, PLA's DON'T automatically require the use of a closed union shop. What they DO require is an advanced understanding of labor rates, work rules, and overtime, which cannot be changed after the fact. They provide a guarantee of labor costs. The Springfield Interchange was built without one - and look how badly that was managed when the contractors weren't bound by any agreements at all!
All the same, I would have expected them to bow to the politics by now. Even though the GOP originally put this in the hands of MWAA specifically to avoid the politics in the first place. I said at the time it was a bad choice - the MWAA is not well equipped for this - but the decision was made. It's the height of hypocrisy to go back on it now.
You can't appoint someone to manage it on an apolitical basis, and then drag them back into politics the minute they make a decision you don't like.
Rob Jackson
3:58 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
Michael, the transfer to MWAA was made by Governor Kaine. There was no review of the transfer by the General Assembly whatsoever.
Jeff Barnett
4:04 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
Michael is exactly CORRECT in his characterization of PLAs (Project Labor Agreements). It is ironic that PLAs were originally created in order to prevent one union from closing down an entire job site. Now, opponents of Dulles Rail are spreading lies about PLAs in order to close down Phase II of Dulles Rail.
HardHatMommy
4:40 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
If PLAs are so great why is it that no major non-federal construction project in our state's history has had a mandatory PLA? If phase 1 is so great, why not go the route of voluntary PLA ... Nobody had a problem with that voluntary PLA. The fact is that MWAA board member Martire clearly stated that PLAs are about WHERE the workers come from ... the union hall or nonunion firms. PLAs are very rare in our state and most of the federal work doesn't even have a PLA in Va. Wage rates and safety procedures and all that important stuff is worked out in the old fashioned construction contracts. No need for a PLA. Bottom line is that this is a real issue for real people. It has been hijacked by people with different agendas and that's sad for the 97.4% of Virginia workers who will have to jump ship to a union hall in order to work on this project.
The Convict
10:00 am on Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Wow. The local Teahadists are frothing at the mouth about this. Good luck with dictating terms to the MWAA. Maybe you folks should have worked harder at obstructing Kaine from selling the DTR way back when because, after all, obstruction is what the modern Teahadist does best.
HardHatMommy
5:14 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
I don't know what a teaheadist is but I do know what discrimination is. I recognize that some people have latched on to the PLA as a tool to use in their own fights. I hope those utilizing the issue realize how real of an issue this is to so many hard working, smart, talented Virginians and I hope they learn about the issue and recognize that we can never sit back and let one group discriminate over another. Again, there is no reason that both union workers and non-union workers should not build this job. All should get a fair opportunity.
Bob Bruhns
12:04 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012
A couple of audits - one of MWAA management of this mess, and the other of the financing and oversight of this job, are about to change the equations.
The preliminary results of the audit of MWAA management are about to be reported on May 15, 2012, I believe. They promise to be game changing. This MIGHT even get the news media to start reporting the existence of a FINANCIAL audit that was announced on March 15, 2012.
People might ask WHY that financial audit has not been reported. It's a good question, don't you think? Do a web search on ' Audit Initiated of Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project ' and you can see the announcement on the DOT GOV website (and mentioned in the comments of about a hundred news articles). The earlier management audit was reported in the news - so why is the financial audit not being reported? Is there... a problem?