---
title: "Ielmini: PLA Executive Order is good for unions and communities"
description: On the AWF Union Podcast, LMCT Executive Director Pete Ielmini spoke about the benefits of President Joe Biden’s PLA Executive Order.
image: https://lmct.insulators.org/hubfs/LMCT%20Twenty/_assets/images/posts-1200/LMCT-Blog-Featured-AWF_1200x600-v2.jpg
---
[](https://lmct.insulators.org/)
[Our Industry](https://lmct.insulators.org/our-industry)
[Industrial/Commercial Mechanical Insulation](https://lmct.insulators.org/industrial-commercial-mechanical-insulation) [Asbestos Abatement](https://lmct.insulators.org/asbestos-abatement) [Firestop and Smokeseal](https://lmct.insulators.org/firestop-and-smokeseal) [Mechanical Insulation Evaluations](https://lmct.insulators.org/mechanical-insulation-evaluation) [Mechanical Insulation Energy Audits](https://lmct.insulators.org/mechanical-insulation-energy-audits) [Science of Insulation](https://lmct.insulators.org/science-of-insulation)
[Contractors](https://lmct.insulators.org/contractors)
[Political Activism](https://lmct.insulators.org/political-activism)
[U.S. Federal Issues](https://lmct.insulators.org/us-federal-issues) [Federal Mechanical Insulation Act](https://lmct.insulators.org/fmia) [U.S. State Issues](https://lmct.insulators.org/us-state-issues) [Canada Federal Issues](https://lmct.insulators.org/canada-federal-issues)
[About](https://lmct.insulators.org/about)
[About LMCT](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-lmct) [About Insulators Union](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-insulators-union) [About Apprenticeship Training](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-apprenticeship-training) [About Contractor Association](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-contractor-association) [Women in the Industry](https://lmct.insulators.org/women-in-the-industry) [Mental Health Awareness](https://lmct.insulators.org/mental-health-awareness) [Media Gallery](https://lmct.insulators.org/media-gallery) [Downloadable Resources](https://lmct.insulators.org/downloadable-lmct-materials)
[News](https://lmct.insulators.org/news) [Contact](https://lmct.insulators.org/contact)
Place Your Pre-Title, here
# Ielmini: PLA Executive Order is good for unions and communities
- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)
[Mechanical Insulators LMCT](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/author/mechanical-insulators-lmct)
###### Feb 28, 2022 2:23:00 PM
President Joe Biden’s Executive Order, which requires the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects valued at more than $35 million, will apply to $262 billion in federal construction contracting and impact nearly 200,000 workers.
A PLA is a pre-hire Collective Bargaining Agreement between labor and management to establish various conditions of employment, including hourly wage.
[Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust](https://lmct.insulators.org/) (LMCT) Executive Director Pete Ielmini joined the [America’s Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/) and discussed how Biden’s Executive Order will improve both labor quality and the pay of construction workers.
Ielmini attended the Feb. 4 Executive Order signing at the Ironworkers Local 5 Union Hall in Upper Marlboro, Md. and heard the President discuss the benefits of PLAs. He also shook Biden’s hand prior to the signing of the order.
PLAs do not discriminate against non-union labor, Ielmini pointed out. Rather, they effectively prevent the exploitation of non-union workers by unscrupulous contractors through substandard wages and benefits. Non-union contractors are free to bid on any job governed by a PLA as long as they agree to the terms of the PLA, he said.
Ielmini welcomed the opportunity to work alongside non-union shops. This actually is a great opportunity for union members to educate non-union workers about the benefits of joining a union, he added.
## Why PLAs are good for both wages and project quality
In the absence of PLAs, workers on some projects are often brought in from out of state, Ielmini said. These workers are typically paid substandard wages. Not only do the workers suffer, but the local communities suffer as well because the money will ultimately go home with the out-of-state worker and not stay in the local economy, he added.
Ielmini then pointed out that Biden’s Executive Order will improve the quality of federal construction projects. When contractors are required to pay Prevailing Wage, the project is often built by better trained construction workers. This helps ensure a project is completed on time, within budget and to a high degree of quality, he said.
[Project Labor Agreement](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/tag/project-labor-agreement) | [Political Activism](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/tag/political-activism) | [Mechanical Insulators LMCT](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/tag/mechanical-insulators-lmct) | [AWF Union Podcast](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/tag/awf-union-podcast) | [Pete Ielmini](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/tag/pete-ielmini)
##### Comments
## More News
---
### [Biden’s PLA Executive Order will improve federal construction quality](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/bidens-pla-executive-order-will-improve-federal-construction-quality)
On Feb. 4, President Biden signed an Executive Order requiring Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on...
[Read More...](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/bidens-pla-executive-order-will-improve-federal-construction-quality)
---
### [Biden Mandates Use of PLAs](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/biden-mandates-use-of-plas)
*Applies to Federally funded projects over $35 million*
On Feb. 4, President Biden signed an...
[Read More...](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/biden-mandates-use-of-plas)
---
### [Ielmini discusses President Biden's commitment to the building trades](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/ielminiaprilawf)
Pete Ielmini, Executive Director of the Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust...
[Read More...](https://lmct.insulators.org/news/ielminiaprilawf)
---
[](https://lmct.insulators.org/)
[](https://www.insulators.org/)
#### Our Industry
- [Industrial/Commercial Mechanical Insulation](https://lmct.insulators.org/industrial-commercial-mechanical-insulation)
- [Asbestos Removal](https://lmct.insulators.org/asbestos-abatement)
- [Firestop & Smokeseal](https://lmct.insulators.org/firestop-and-smokeseal)
- [Mechanical Insulation Evaluations](https://lmct.insulators.org/mechanical-insulation-evaluation)
- [Other Related Mechanical Insulation Industries](https://lmct.insulators.org/mechanical-insulation-energy-audits)
- [Science of Insulation](https://lmct.insulators.org/science-of-insulation)
#### Political Activism
- [U.S. Federal Issues](https://lmct.insulators.org/us-federal-issues)
- [Federal Mechanical Insulation Act](https://lmct.insulators.org/fmia)
- [U.S. State Issues](https://lmct.insulators.org/us-state-issues)
- [Canada Federal Issues](https://lmct.insulators.org/canada-federal-issues)
#### Learn More About
- [The LMCT](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-lmct)
- [The Insulators Union](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-insulators-union)
- [Apprenticeship Training](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-apprenticeship-training)
- [The Contractor Association](https://lmct.insulators.org/about-contractor-association)
- [View Our Media Gallery](https://lmct.insulators.org/media-gallery)
#### Connect
LinkedIn
YouTube
Twitter
Facebook
---
###### © Copyright 2026 Insulators LMCT. All rights reserved.
###### Website Created by: [BMA Media Group ](https://bmamedia.com/)
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "Mechanical Insulators LMCT",
"url" : "https://lmct.insulators.org/news/author/mechanical-insulators-lmct"
},
"dateModified" : "2022-10-10T16:29:37.637Z",
"datePublished" : "2022-02-28T19:23:00.000Z",
"headline" : "Ielmini: PLA Executive Order is good for unions and communities",
"image" : [ "https://lmct.insulators.org/hubfs/LMCT%20Twenty/_assets/images/posts-1200/LMCT-Blog-Featured-AWF_1200x600-v2.jpg" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://lmct.insulators.org/news/ielmini-pla-executive-order-is-good-for-unions-and-communities",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://lmct.insulators.org/hubfs/Dev%20Seventeen/logos/header-banner-logo.svg"
},
"name" : "International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers"
}
}
```