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Trade group hits Onorato on union labor

A builders’ trade group in western Pennsylvania is running a radio ad against Democrat Dan Onorato, accusing the gubernatorial candidate and Allegheny County executive of helping union “special interests” by requiring that most of a new community college science center be built by unionized workers.

The Tribune-Review first reported on the 60-second spot from the Associated Builders & Contractors of Western Pennsylvania. The issue at hand is a so-called Project Labor Agreement for the $21-million science center project at the Community College of Allegheny County. The trade group sued after the college stipulated that amount 90 percent of workers on the project would be unionized, and the labor agreement is now being reviewed.

Onorato’s office said allegations in the ad “completely false.”

“This is clearly a political advertisement by a special-interest group,” county spokeswoman Megan Dardanell told the newspaper. “Everyone—union and nonunion—are able to bid.”

Onorato’s campaign was quick to push back this week. Despite the fact that Republican Tom Corbett’s campaign did not run the ad, Onorato’s campaign noted that the building trade group’s statewide PAC has given money to Corbett.

“Tom Corbett has represented big business over average Pennsylvanians every step of his career and every day of this campaign,” Onorato spokesman Brian Herman said, “and his corporate donor allies are now returning the favor.”

The Tribune-Review reports that Corbett actually declined to sign a pledge the trade group is circulating, which commits a candidate not to use Project Labor Agreements that limit non-union workers.

“Whether a PLA is necessary for a project should be decided based upon the labor needs, cost and workforce unique to it and the availability of the local workforce,” a Corbett campaign spokesman told the newspaper.

August 19, 2010 at 9:42 am

--pa2010.com Staff

Tags: Dan Onorato, Tom Corbett

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