Don’t Get PLAyed Alexandria!
Some Alexandria politicians are playing games with your money. They’re pushing costly Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on major city construction projects like City Hall and the Duke Street Transitway. These unnecessary requirements may earn them more campaign contributions, but they’ll cost taxpayers millions more and result in fewer city projects. Fewer infrastructure upgrades, fewer transportation improvements, and less investment in the community to name a few.
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Did you know?
Alexandria Officials Hid Nearly $7 Million in PLA Costs - leaving taxpayers completely in the Dark.
Alexandria city officials moved forward with a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on the City Hall and Market Square renovation project while withholding critical cost information from the public.
Internal documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that on May 5, 2025, the project’s general contractor estimated the PLA would add approximately $6.9 million in additional costs - a roughly 10% increase. Despite this, city officials failed to disclose these costs to City Council or the public at any point during the approval process.
Make no mistake - this was not an oversight. When city staff briefed leadership on the PLA’s execution in July 2025, they highlighted supposed benefits but omitted any mention of the millions in added costs. Weeks later, as the City prepared a public announcement, officials explicitly acknowledged that they had not included “any financial impact related to the PLA.”
The result? A publicly funded project promoted as a “milestone achievement,” while the true cost burden on taxpayers remained hidden.
This raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability. Alexandria taxpayers deserve full and honest disclosure - not selective information that conceals millions in avoidable costs.
And They Are Not Stopping There
City officials are now preparing to expand PLAs to at least five additional major construction projects, each with estimated construction costs exceeding $35 million.
These projects are part of Alexandria’s proposed $2.01 billion Capital Improvement Program, which already includes hundreds of millions in infrastructure spending - from transit corridors to stormwater systems and major city facility upgrades.
Despite previously concealing nearly $7 million in PLA-related costs on the City Hall project, officials are now moving forward with even more PLA mandates, putting taxpayers at risk of significantly higher project costs across multiple future developments.
Make no mistake - this is not isolated. It is a pattern.
As Alexandria advances major capital projects, taxpayers deserve full transparency on the true cost of these decisions - not selective disclosures after the fact.
“We have not included the budget to the project or any financial impact related to the PLA.” (City staff confirming cost impacts were omitted from public messaging)
— Janine Katob, Assisant Director of Capital Projects, City of Alexandria
What’s Behind the Push for PLAs in Alexandria?
It’s not complicated. Influential labor union bosses spend big money in Alexandria’s local elections. The current Alexandria City Council has taken over $300,000 in campaign donations from union bosses that are pressuring them to mandate PLAs on Loudoun projects, costing you more to live in the City.
$141,952
Alyia Gaskins (D)
Mayor
$141,952 from labor unions
34.2% of of all contributions
92% from out-of-state
$41,101
Sarah Bagley (D)
Vice Mayor
$41,101 from labor unions
22.4% of of all contributions
72% from out-of-state
$45,351
Canek Aguirre (D)
Councilman
$45,351 from labor unions
21.6% of of all contributions
77% from out-of-state
$44,781
John Chapman (D)
Councilman
$44,781 from labor unions
10.6% of of all contributions
75% from out-of-state
$3,000
Jacinta Greene (D)
Councilwoman
$3,000 from labor unions
9.5% of of all contributions
17% from out-of-state
$32,474
Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi (D)
Councilman
$32,474 from labor unions
34.9% of of all contributions
92% from out-of-state
What do Government-Mandate Project Labor Agreements Mean for the City of Alexandria?
PLAs Increase Project Costs, Which Means Higher Taxes.
PLAs severely limit bid competition on taxpayer funded projects. Numerous studies have found that this artificially limited competition ads between 12 and 20 percent to the cost of public construction projects. These avoidable and unnecessary costs mean one thing - higher taxes!
PLAs Put Out-of-State Union Bosses First and Alexandria Workers Last
PLAs put out-of-state union bosses in charge of who gets to work on Alexandria construction projects. 95% of Virginian construction workers have chosen not to join a union. PLAs allow unions to discriminate against Virginia workers in favor of out-of-state workers with seniority in the union.
PLA Costs Crowd Out Other Important Infrastructure Projects
The added costs of PLAs place additional strain on public budgets, crowding out other important projects. This means you receive fewer public works. For example, the County might be able to build 4 new schools without a PLA, but only two schools with a PLA.
PLAs Send Alexandria Tax Dollars Out-of-State
PLAs send Alexandria tax dollars to out-of-state construction firms that have relationships with construction unions. What’s worse, local firms are excluded from participating on Alexandria construction projects that are funded by their own tax dollars.
PLAs Increase the Risk of Delays and Cost Overruns
PLAs add delay-inducing complexity and bureaucracy to construction projects, further increasing the likelihood of cost overruns. PLAs exist only when politicians mandate them as payback for political support. They are not a normal part of the construction process and, as such, impede the ability of most contractors to efficiently and effectively deliver taxpayer-funded infrastructure.
PLAs Discriminate Against Minority - and Woman -Owned Firms
PLAs exclude nearly all small, minority-, and woman-owned construction firms. This is why the National Black Chamber of Commerce has been an outspoken critic of mandatory PLAs.