I don’t always support labor unions. Some union policies, such as anti-Walmart campaign, come off as trying to bully the easiest target. Some unions have even become profiteering businesses. However, I respect labor unions for all the good things they have done for workers, such as advocating for minimum wage laws, child labor laws, limiting the weekly workload and fighting for employee benefits. Today, labor unions continue to be the strongest voice for workers’ rights.

Unfortunately, anti-labor union activists trying to silence the labor union’s voice are threatening legal action because of a recent project labor agreement between contractors and unions concerning the San Diego Convention Center expansion project.

The PLA secured common sense protections, such as addressing environmental and workers’ safety concerns, giving non- union workers equal benefits to union workers and assuring the construction companies hire as many local workers as possible. In turn, unions dropped their opposition to the project regarding concerns about the environmental impact and financing the project via a tax passed by hotel corporations. This agreement is important to ensure contractors don’t take advantage of cheap labor at the expense of local workers who badly need the jobs. It also benefits the contractors involved by preventing work stoppage during the project’s construction. Similar agreements were made between contractors and unions for the construction of Petco Park as well as construction projects by the San Diego Unified School District.

The PLA’s opposition is led by the interest group the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction, which represents non-union contractors. It argues the agreement violates the spirit of the anti-union measure Proposition A, which passed with 58 percent of the vote in June’s primary election. This kind of logic is bogus. Proposition A only bans the city government from requiring contractors to make project labor agreements with unions. It does not ban the agreements themselves. Furthermore, the results from the June election are misleading. The measure passed with favorable conditions in the primary election in which less than 230,000 residents voted, roughly half of the number of voters in November’s general election for the mayor’s office.

CEEC Executive Director Eric Christen argues the agreement shuts out non-union contractors who object to paying union health and retirement benefits and want the right to choose whom to hire. Christen’s argument amounts to allowing companies to get away with anything, such as hiring cheap labor from elsewhere. It’s nothing more than an excuse to let construction companies maximize profits without restrictions.

For such an anti-union capitalist, Christen seems to miss the main point of capitalism: choice. The Clark and Hunt construction groups working on the project were chosen by the city’s contractor to lead the project. If the city wanted non-union contractors, they had the choice to hire them. Furthermore, if non-union contractors really wanted to be part of the construction project, they didn’t have to choose to be non-union.

Christen also claims the Convention Center PLA is extortion, which is ridiculous.

A PLA is a part of the business process. It’s a business deal no different than the city hiring the construction companies to build the project. By Christen’s extreme definition, trying to bargain for the best deal you can get on a PlayStation 3 would be extortion.

Anti-union activists shouldn’t try to stall the Convention Center expansion project just because it has a PLA.

This project will help San Diego’s economy by creating an estimated 4,000 jobs for union and non-union workers. It will help increase revenue from tourism as well as provide the city with much-needed tax revenue. Attempting to stall the project with pithy anti-union activism will only hurt the city’s economy.

It’s important to preserve the right for unions to make PLA’s with businesses. Unions help level the playing field with big businesses, such as Clark and Hunt construction groups. Without these PLAs, big business would have too much power and would hire only according to their best interests and not the interests of workers and local residents.