The grassroots rebellion against the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s mandatory Project Labor Agreement for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project is gaining momentum. The Loudoun County Republican Commitee has called upon the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and General Assembly representatives to “oppose mandatory PLA provisions or union-driven rules in the final agreement with the MWAA.”
The Republican resolution follows the introduction of a bill by Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Manassas, to prohibit the use of state revenues for construction of Phase 2 if (1) the project is subject to a Project Labor Agreement, (2) MWAA’s Freedom of Information Act policies are inconsistent with Virginia’s, or (3) the project is not subject to state audit. (For details, see my post on Marshall’s bill.)
Marshall personally addressed the Loudoun Republican committee and made the case that full MWAA transparency should be a precondition for the state to fork over another $150 million, as called for in a recent Memorandum of Agreement signed by MWAA and the McDonnell administration. The wording of his bill was reflected in the resolution.
According to my sources, David LaRock and Sally Mann, Loudoun County Chairman Scott York spoke in favor of the resolution, as did Del. Joe T. May, R-Leesburg. Sen.-elect Dick Black is drafting a comparable bill to submit to the Senate. This issue is not going away. The McDonnell administration could have a real fight on its hands come January. I don’t envy the governor, who inherited the Rail-to-Dulles mess from the Kaine administration, but he’s stuck with it. He needs to hold MWAA accountable.
Some of my friends in the Smart Growth movement may wonder why I seem to hell bent on highlighting the PLA issue. The answer is simple. I believe in mass transit. We need mass transit. But mass transit is subject to massive cost overruns and operating subsidies that Virginia cannot now afford and certainly will not be able to afford in the future. If we want to see more mass transit in Virginia’s future, we have to bring the capital and operating costs under control. That means holding groups like the MWAA accountable and making sure it doesn’t negotiate sweetheart deals with labor unions that potentially could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
— JAB
