Isle workers should be used for public projects - Hawaii Editor...

"The economic stimulus of rail is primarily the creation of jobs."

Two thoughts, first if this is true then don't take any federal dollars if you are not going to open the bidding to ALL US citizens (who paid taxes for those dollars).

Second, I thought the primary goal of the rail was to pay back favors to all the unions for electing the mayor...(or for an excuse to raise taxes to maintain this white elephant down the road).

What does it tell you about Hawaii Unions when mainland companies can bring in their workers, house and feed them for less than our local workers? That's right, our unions have willfully priced themselves out of a job thanks to their clueless union bosses who really do not care. Donovan Dela Cruz just can't understand this, hasen't got a clue as can be told in his SB posting. Someone is totally out of touch with island labor conditions, time to get out of the office and see the real world. Just another day in the Nei.

Pretty hard to figure how you can bring in out of state workers, house them pay them, and transport them back and forth, and do it cheaper than hiring local workers. Something's wrong, and it's not with the out of state folks, it's right here at home!!!

So Nobama makes us use local overpriced workers, and the price to all of us goes up...when wealth is going down. That's dems for you///always got it backwards!!

Islandboi wrote:

What does it tell you about Hawaii Unions when mainland companies can bring in their workers, house and feed them for less than our local workers? That's right, our unions have willfully priced themselves out of a job thanks to their clueless union bosses who really do not care.

AMEN!

But the union bosses are not clueless, they know they need to demand the higher wages so they can justify their own salaries. They also know they are going to get paid regardless if the workers work or not.

Donovan should be focusing this editorial at the unions and not the state AND ask the question why is this the case?

FYI -That Aloha Stadium commericial shows how greedy/stupid our unions are when you got rednecks from Kentucky (KENTUCKY!) saying how nice Hawaii is.

I wonder which union wrote the article for Donovan.

You've got it right, Councilman. I would like to see all of our elected State and County officials come out with similar statements. With all the highway projects at the State level and with the Rail Transit project looming, we need our government to be responsive to the local workers' needs.

island workers take forever to finish a project and the job doesnt get done properly.

examples...

street repairs, notice the same hole reappears

ala wai, notice the c.r.a.p tube

how is the state budget ?

how is the city/county budget ?

island workers are the best!!!

OK, Donovan, PLA's are good for the unions ... but isn't the real problem that the unions have priced their labor out of the market? How is paying inflated labor costs better for the rest of the State? Think about that and ask who is paying for all the commercials regarding Aloha Stadium, yup, the unions. Just wondering who is really the problem.

Presently their job is to vote for MUFI!
I don't think they are more capable of doing much more than that and if they did more than that they would need a UNION!

willie wrote:

"The economic stimulus of rail is primarily the creation of jobs."
Two thoughts, first if this is true then don't take any federal dollars if you are not going to open the bidding to ALL US citizens (who paid taxes for those dollars).
Second, I thought the primary goal of the rail was to pay back favors to all the unions for electing the mayor...(or for an excuse to raise taxes to maintain this white elephant down the road).

As usual, your wrong on both points. While the feds are kicking in a chunk, tourists (no us citizens) are paying for it via the GET tax, while local resdients pay for about 2/3's. So obviously the majority of it is being paid for by lcoal residents and tehrefore its okay to priortize them.

2) The primary goal of rail is to change the way future development and redevelopment takes place on Oahu. Its time to get away from an auto-centric way of planning. Rail also has other positives (alternative transportation mode, job creation) as well.

I'm not in the constuction industry, but I think I can see why PLAs would help Hawaii's economy. Now if only it was 100% legal/possible to hire only in-state workers and keep all monies(payroll and taxes) here in Hawaii....maybe the State budget wouldn't be looking so bad. Well, there still could be the mismanagement angle of finances for the State. If Inouye or whoever gets Federal monies for Hawaii projects, should not an effort be made to keep them instate be done?

Any requests for bids for public projects need to include a requirement that a majority of contractors' employees be local resident hires. Because of our geographical location, Hawaii residents can't easily work in other states as mainlanders can. Make it happen, Dela Cruz.

You concept sounds good, but I do not see anything in your commentary that mentions effecient use of taxpayer money. I really don't care who performes the work, as long as it comes in on time and under budget, with good quality and workmanship. You are talking about redistribution of wealth. We as taxpayers are concerned with value for our money.

Competition for money is tight, and if this is truly a global economy, protectionism is something we cannot afford. Hawaii contruction workers need to step it up a notch. Not saying that our laborers are not top notch, but contstruction management needs to act in order to be competitive. If it is cheaper to bring materials and labor including housing and food to Hawaii, rather than using the guys down the street, your energy would be better spend on why Government is making it so expensive for local businesses to operate, and not play the Local vs.Mainlanders game. Like the race card, it is too easy to fall back on "tried and true" excuses.

Yes, it would be great to keep all that construction money local. After all, the kickbacks remain in Hawaii. Even if they are eventually spent in Vegas.

Then all the local workers blow their money in vegas twice a year...

Project labor agreements (PLAs) force contractors to use union labor. Some PLAs allow nonunion contractors to use their own nonunion workers, but they must agree to the following stipulations:

Contractors must recognize unions as the representatives of their employees on that job; use the union hall to obtain workers (send their employees to the hall); obey the union’s restrictive apprenticeship and work rules; and contribute to union pension plans and other funds in which their employees will never benefit unless they join a union.

This results in PLAs discouraging or barring competition from local contractors and their employees if they are not union.

Shouldn't qualified local employees and employers have a fair opportunity to build federal project paid for by their own tax dollars? Don't their families deserve to benefit from these projects?

In reality, PLAs are nothing less than a government payoff to Big Labor. In essence a PLA is a direct transfer of government money to Big Labor coffers that are then used to elect more pro-PLA Democrat candidates. Rinse and repeat.

That is precisely why President Obama,via Executive Order 13502, is encouraging federal procurement officials to require PLAs on federal construction projects.

This quid-pro-quo arrangement is the finest form of government corruption and it is especially deplorable because PLAs increase construction costs because of inefficient union work rules and a lack of competition.

Taxpayers lose with PLAs.

Babes wrote:

Any requests for bids for public projects need to include a requirement that a majority of contractors' employees be local resident hires. Because of our geographical location, Hawaii residents can't easily work in other states as mainlanders can. Make it happen, Dela Cruz.

i agree..hire our locals..we need jobs here

There you go again, including yourself with the "we". You are not registered to vote here. You gave excuses why you were not registered to votew here. You hate it here. Face it, you are a carpetbagger from ND sucking down a scholarship you can't prove. Don't consider yourself part of the we until you either register to vote here, be a contributing part of society here or even as a minimum prove you are contributing more than your "scholarship".

I earned my scholarship. I could not afford to be here without it. I am up for renewal in March so I willa ssemble my many contributions tot her UH and academics. Not to mention this blog where I try to9 give a fresh perspective that is helpful to many.

Ha-ha-ha; BS Hanoi Jane.