Federal Contractors: Historical Perspective on Noncompliance With Labor and Worker Safety Laws
Abstract
We are pleased to be here today to assist the Subcommittee in its examination of issues involving federal contractors noncompliance with federal labor laws. The consideration of a contractors compliance with federal laws during an agency's procurement procedure remains a controversial issue. In 1995, the administration issued an executive order, struck down in 1996 by the courts, that barred federal contractors from receiving contracts if they hire permanent replacements for striking workers.1 In 1996, the administration issued an executive order that would bar contractors from hiring illegal immigrants. In early 1997, the administration had planned to issue an executive order requiring federal agencies to use Project Labor Agreements on their construction projects.2 After considerable industry opposition, the administration issued an executive memorandum encouraging, but not requiring, agencies to use Project Labor Agreements on larger federal construction projects. Some representatives of the business community have voiced concern that efforts to encourage federal agencies to consider contractors labor-management relations and health and safety records in awarding contracts could lead to the inappropriate blacklisting of some employers as well as inflated procurement costs at the taxpayers expense. Today, we would like to shed some light on these issues by presenting information on the extent to which federal contractors have not complied with federal labor laws in the past. In particular, I will review our key findings from recent reports exploring federal contractors noncompliance with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) during fiscal years 1993 and 1994 and with the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act during fiscal year 1994.3 Because we have not had an opportunity to update our findings with data from fiscal year 1995 to the present, we are not in a position to revise the amount of contract dollars firms in noncompliance currently receive.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 14, 1998
- Accession Number
- AD1180464
Entities
People
- Cornelia M. Blanchette
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office