For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 6, 2001
Statement by the Press Secretary
Earlier this year the President issued an executive order relating to
project labor agreements that is based on the principles of fairness
and government neutrality.
President Bush believes in government neutrality in contracting
decisions, which is why he signed the executive order ending the
practice of requiring contractors working on federally funded projects
from entering into project labor agreements. The order does
not prohibit contractors from voluntarily entering into such
agreements.
Several projects with pre-existing project labor agreements were
underway at the time the executive order was issued.
The President listened to legitimate concerns raised by parties
involved in the pre-existing projects and determined that the executive
order should be amended to ensure that projects with pre-existing
project labor agreements and contracts awarded under those agreements
proceed on schedule and on budget.
President Bush believes that it is fair to all the parties that had
begun work under a pre-existing project labor agreement to continue
under the terms they had already agreed upon. He agrees that
we should not change the rules in the middle of the game.
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