Knabe temporarily blocks labor deal with the MTA

The county supervisor is chairman of the transit board until July, which means that he gets to set agendas. And Knabe wants no part of an arrangement that would compel MTA contractors to use union labor, otherwise known as a project labor agreement. From the LA Weekly:

Even without a PLA, the vast majority of workers on MTA projects already belong to unions. State law also requires that even non-union employees be paid prevailing union wages. A PLA would primarily affect smaller businesses, who fear they would be unable to bid on MTA projects if the agreement is passed. "It is definitely a financial burden and an administrative burden," said Lucia Tam, a Realtor who chairs the MTA's Transportation Business Advisory Council. "They're trying to make the small, minority-owned businesses become union in order to bid."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who will succeed Knabe as chair of the MTA board in July, will most certainly put the PLA proposal on the agenda.