Are You Ready For Some Football? The NFL Says "Yes" to Project Labor Agreements, According to The Building and Construction Trades Department

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tonight, the 2012 National Football League (NFL) Season kicks off with a game featuring NFC East Division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.  While this week's full slate of games will certainly feature some of the recent  trends that have been embraced in pro football - such as a pass-centric offense, and the use of the "wildcat" formation - tonight's inaugural game of the 2012 NFL season will involve another trend that is sweeping the league:  the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for the construction and renovations of NFL stadiums.

The Cowboys-Giants game will be played tonight at MetLife Stadium, located in the Meadowlands Complex in New Jersey.  The $1.8 billion structure was constructed under a PLA, and actually opened four months ahead of schedule.  Equally important is the fact that the stadium was completed in 4.5 million man hours without any serious safety incidents or accidents.

Since 1998, 18 NFL stadiums have been constructed; are currently being constructed; will soon begin construction; or have undergone substantial renovations.  10 of those stadiums - in Baltimore, Foxboro, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Green Bay, New York, Pittsburgh, and Seattle - were constructed or renovated entirely under a PLA.  In addition, San Francisco's new stadium is currently being constructed under a PLA in Santa Clara, CA, and the Minnesota Vikings have already stated their preference for a PLA for the construction of their new stadium in Minneapolis.

So, for those keeping score: Since 1998, a whopping 12 out of 18 NFL stadiums have embraced the value of a project labor agreement.

NFL owners, like any business people, are cost-conscious and profit-oriented. They understand that PLAs provide increased jobsite efficiencies through the utilization of the safest, most highly trained and productive skilled craft workforce known to mankind; a workforce that is developed through the investment of approximately one billion dollars a year by America's Building Trades Unions and their signatory contractors in the world's most admired skilled craft apprenticeship and training infrastructure. 

Like numerous private sector entities - from Toyota, to Disney, to Reebok, and to WalMart - the fact that NFL owners are increasingly turning to project labor agreements for their construction needs is proof-positive that PLAs  are working for the NFL, and they are working for America.

It is unfortunate that these same NFL owners do not show the same respect for the skills, expertise and overall value being provided to the league, its teams, its players, and its fans by the NFL referees.  We encourage the league to work diligently and in good faith to reach an agreement with the referees.    

The Building and Construction Trades Department is an alliance of 13 national and international unions that collectively represent 2 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada.

www.BCTD.org
www.Facebook.com/AmericasBuildingTradesUnions
www.PLAsWork.org
www.YouTube.com/BCTDValueOnDisplay

SOURCE Building and Construction Trades Department