The Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, a group of national construction unions, filed a lawsuit regarding an executive order issued by President George W. Bush, which bars the use of project labor agreements on federally assisted construction jobs, which have been used on hundreds of projects for more than 50 years.

The unions contended that the EO violates a long-standing federal law protecting workers' rights, the National Labor Relations Act. The district court agreed with the unions' position, but was reversed by the court of appeals. The group now intends to file a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking for the overturn of that decision.