ABC issues news releases on the latest workforce, policy and industry issues, as well as construction-related economic data and trends. Commercial and industrial construction economic analyses include federal data on construction spending, employment, job openings and the Producer Price Index. 

In addition, ABC produces the Construction Backlog Indicator, the only economic indicator that reflects the amount of work that will be performed by commercial and industrial construction contractors in the months ahead, and the Construction Confidence Index, a diffusion index that signals construction contractors’ expectations for sales, profit margins and staffing levels. Methodology for both indicators can be found hereABC construction economic releases are published according to this schedule for 2023 

 

From category archives: News Releases

Inflationary Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wages Cost Taxpayers More for Public Works Projects

Monday, May 16, 2022 10:55 AM

WASHINGTON, May 16—The flawed method used by the federal government to calculate “prevailing wages” under the 91-year-old Davis-Bacon Act adds at least 7.2% to the cost of federal and federally assisted construction projects and inflates wages by 20.2% compared to local market averages, according to a new report from the Beacon Hill Institute. Associated Builders and Contractors has called on the U.S. Department of Labor to modernize its wage determination process for decades, but a proposed rule the agency released on March 18 actually makes this archaic and unscientific process even more inaccurate, inflationary and biased.

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18 GOP Governors to Biden: Back Off Project Labor Agreement Mandates

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 1:40 PM

WASHINGTON, April 26—Associated Builders and Contractors today applauded a letter sent to President Joe Biden by 16 Republican governors, led by Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Bill Lee of Tennessee, opposing the Biden administration’s policies promoting government-mandated project labor agreements on taxpayer-funded construction projects.

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ABC Sends Letter to White House With 1,200 Signatures Opposing Biden’s PLA Mandate

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 12:07 PM

WASHINGTON, April 6—Today, Associated Builders and Contractors sent the White House a letter with more than 1,200 signatures from member companies and chapters representing the construction industry strongly opposing President Biden’s executive order mandating project labor agreements on federal public works projects exceeding $35 million.

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ABC Hails Court Decision Blocking Biden Administration’s Independent Contractor Do-Over

Tuesday, March 15, 2022 3:04 PM

WASHINGTON, March 15—The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas today dealt a blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to delay and rescind the Trump administration’s 2021 independent contractor final rule in a decision applauded by Associated Builders and Contractors, which had sued to block those actions. Under the court’s decision, the ABC-supported rule went into effect as scheduled on March 8, 2021, and remains in effect today.

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ABC: Biden’s Proposed Davis-Bacon Act Reforms Are More Pork for Special Interests

Friday, March 11, 2022 11:58 AM

WASHINGTON, March 11—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement from Ben Brubeck, ABC vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs, in reaction to the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule, Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations. The 1931 Davis-Bacon Act and related regulations require contractors and subcontractors that perform work on federal and federally funded construction projects to pay a government-determined prevailing wage and benefit rate on an hourly basis to on-site construction workers. The Davis-Bacon Act and 71 active related acts collectively apply to an estimated $217 billion in federal and federally assisted construction spending per year and provide government-determined wage rates for an estimated 1.2 million U.S. construction workers.

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ABC Slams Biden Administration for Promoting Union Preferences in DOT Infrastructure Spending

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 6:59 PM

WASHINGTON, March 8—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement criticizing a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. departments of Labor and Transportation advancing workforce policy initiatives on DOT-funded infrastructure projects, including controversial project labor agreements.

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ABC Statement on President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Tuesday, March 1, 2022 9:30 PM

WASHINGTON, March 1—Associated Builders and Contractors issued the following statement from Michael Bellaman, its president and CEO, in reaction to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

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Construction Coalition to Congress: Support Fair and Open Competition

Monday, February 28, 2022 9:47 AM

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28—Today, Associated Builders and Contractors and a coalition of 19 associations and organizations representing the construction industry and business community sent a letter to Congress expressing support for the Fair and Open Competition Act (S. 403/H.R. 1284), sponsored by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C, and strong opposition to government-mandated project labor agreements.

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Construction Coalition Opposes Biden Administration Project Labor Agreement Schemes

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 9:55 AM

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16—On Feb. 15, Associated Builders and Contractors and 15 associations and organizations representing tens of thousands of companies and millions of employees in the construction industry sent a letter to the White House highlighting concerns with President Joe Biden’s efforts to require controversial government-mandated project labor agreements on federal and federally assisted construction contracts.

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ABC: White House Union Report Fails to Create Opportunities for All of the Construction Industry

Monday, February 7, 2022 2:43 PM

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement in response to the Biden administration’s White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment report on how to boost union membership in the federal government and public and private sectors.

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