Within the research community, studies published in academic, peer-reviewed journals are considered the gold standard. Typically written by university faculty and other scientists, these studies are reviewed by qualified subject experts before publication to ensure that a research study’s methods and conclusions are sufficiently trustworthy to inform scientific and policy debates.
The Institute for Construction Employment Research is an independent, non-partisan organization whose mission is to facilitate academic-quality research on labor and employment issues affecting construction owners, employers and workers. To support its mission, ICERES has developed a repository identifying and summarizing the available peer-reviewed research on important public policy issues affecting construction employment. Note that identified studies are limited to independent, non-partisan journals. Because of copyright laws, ICERES is unable to disseminate copies of individual studies.
Project Labor Agreements
Project labor agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire labor contracts between a construction owner or general contractor and labor organizations that establish the terms and conditions of employment on a specific construction project.
ICERES Summary of Peer-Reviewed Research
- Updated June 2023. LINK
Individual Peer-Reviewed Studies
- Philips, Peter, and Emma Waitzman. 2021. “Do Project Labor Agreements Reduce the Number of Bidders on Public Projects? The Case of Community Colleges in California,” Public Works Management and Policy, 26(4), 337-358. LINK
- Waddoups, C. Jeffrey, and David C. May. 2014. “Do Responsible Contractor Policies Increase Construction Bid Costs?” Industrial Relations, 53(2), 273-294. LINK
- Belman, Dale, Russell Ormiston, Richard Kelso, William Schriver, and Kenneth A. Frank. 2010. “Project Labor Agreements’ Effect on School Construction Costs in Massachusetts,” Industrial Relations, 49(1), 44-60. LINK
- Bachman, Paul, and Jonathan Haughton. 2007. “Do Project Labor Agreements Raise Construction Costs?” Case Studies in Business, Industry and Government Statistics, 1(1), 71-79. LINK
ICERES Working Papers
- Ormiston, Russell, and Kevin Duncan. 2022. “Project Labor Agreements: A Research Review.” LINK