THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              17
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION
  REQUESTING HAWAII'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO URGE THE
    AMENDMENT OF FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS TO
    INCORPORATE LANGUAGE IN A PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM
    ENCOURAGING THE USE OF PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS IN FEDERAL
    CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS.
 

 1        WHEREAS, Hawaii's construction industry has severely
 2   declined in recent years; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, every possible resource to help revive the
 5   State's construction industry must be examined to assist in
 6   Hawaii's economic recovery; and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, like collective bargaining agreements, project
 9   labor agreements generally address wages, hours, and working
10   conditions, and are especially valuable for large-scale
11   projects in that they provide that the project will be built
12   without strikes, lockouts, or similar disruptions, and
13   incorporate detailed procedures to resolve grievances and
14   jurisdictional disputes; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, project labor agreements are therefore designed
17   to ensure continuity of work throughout the various trade
18   groups needed for major construction projects.  Frequently,
19   different trades have different work practices, including
20   specific holidays, wages paid for overtime, and the like.  A
21   project labor agreement seeks to match all work practices for
22   project harmony and stability, and promotes a stable work
23   environment and stable employment for all of the contractors,
24   subcontractors, and employees involved for the duration of the
25   project; and
26   
27        WHEREAS, both the federal government and state and county
28   governments have used project labor agreements on numerous
29   large projects, including the construction of dams, bridges,
30   highways, and airports.  Perhaps the most famous ongoing state
31   project using a project labor agreement is Massachusetts'
32   cleanup of Boston Harbor, ten-year multibillion dollar project
33   that is ahead of schedule and forty-four per cent under budget;
34   and
35   
36        WHEREAS, President Clinton's June 5, 1997, "Memorandum for
37   the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on the Use of
38   Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Contracts"
39   encourages federal departments and agencies to consider using

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              17
                                                        
                                                        


 1   those agreements on large and significant federal construction
 2   contracts; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, President Clinton's 1997 memorandum reinstated
 5   the previous policy of permitting federal agencies to use
 6   project labor agreements on a case-by-case basis when
 7   conditions for their use are deemed appropriate, reversing an
 8   order by President Bush that barred the use of project labor
 9   agreements on federal construction contracts.  Project labor
10   agreements may now be used as an additional labor-management
11   tool for federal contracting agencies when those agreements
12   serve the federal procurement goal of economical, efficient,
13   and timely high quality performance; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, the use of project labor agreements can also be
16   encouraged in federal projects in Hawaii by providing for the
17   incorporation of the President's memorandum in federal
18   acquisition regulations, which would remove the burden on
19   federal inspectors to ensure that workers are certified to
20   perform the work required for the project; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, incorporating the language of the President's
23   memorandum encouraging the use of project labor agreements into
24   federal acquisition regulations will help to guarantee
25   efficiency, timely, and quality work; establish fair and
26   consistent labor standards and work rules; supply a skilled,
27   experienced and highly competent workforce; ensure stable
28   labor-management relations; and stabilize and revive Hawaii's
29   construction industry; now, therefore,
30   
31        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
32   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, that Hawaii's
33   congressional delegation is requested to urge appropriate
34   federal agencies to amend federal acquisition regulations to
35   incorporate language in President Clinton's June 5, 1997,
36   Memorandum encouraging the use of project labor agreements in
37   federal construction contracts; and
38   
39        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
40   Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United
41   States, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the
42   Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Hawaii's
43   congressional delegation, the state Director of Transportation,
44   and the state Comptroller.
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48                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________