WASHINGTON, D.C., April 3—Eighty-eight percent of Florida construction firms plan to increase hiring over the next six months and 84 percent anticipate experiencing more difficulty finding appropriately skilled labor, according to a report released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Florida. The inaugural Florida Contractor Confidence Index (Florida CCI) showed a statewide confidence reading for improving sales of 81, indicating the typical Florida contractor expects to be much busier in 2017.

Washington, D.C., March 28—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s favorable reporting of the Fair and Open Competition Act (H.R. 1552) out of committee. The bill, introduced by Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), will boost competition on government construction projects and reduce building costs to taxpayers by preventing federal agencies from forcing contractors to sign controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) in order to compete to build federal and federally assisted construction contracts.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 27– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today commended President Trump for signing a resolution into law effectively eliminating the Obama administration’s illegal “blacklisting” rule (formally known as the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces final rule). Implementation of most of the rule’s onerous and duplicative reporting and disclosure requirements were temporarily blocked on Oct. 24 when a U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of ABC’s lawsuit and granted a preliminary injunction.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Mar 23— Construction unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted (NSA)) were down in 10 states and unchanged in three in January on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). For the nation and 37 states, rates were higher than in January 2016, ending 75 consecutive months of year-over-year declines. The national NSA construction unemployment rate of 9.4 percent was up 0.9 percent from January 2016, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 22– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded the U.S. Senate for joining the U.S. House of Representatives in passing a resolution (H.J. Res. 83) that will block implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) “Volks” final rule (also known as Clarification of an Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness) through the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 23– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has named its 2017 Craft Instructor of the Year: Roger Thompson of New Hope, Ala., electrical craft training instructor for the North Alabama Craft Training Foundation (NACTF) and chief electrical estimator at Jesse Stutts Inc., both in Huntsville, Ala. Thompson received the honor at ABC’s Careers in Construction awards ceremony on March 3 during the Workforce Week ’17 conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 22—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently released its 2017 Safety Performance Report to further the construction industry’s understanding of how to make jobsites safer through its Safety Performance Evaluation Process (STEP). Packed with infographics and practical takeaways, the report documents the dramatic impact of using proactive safety practices to reduce recordable incidents by up to 87 percent, making the best-performing companies 770 percent safer than the industry average.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 16— Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today welcomed the introduction of the Fair and Open Competition Act (H.R. 1552) in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.). ABC Vice President of Labor, Regulatory and State Affairs Ben Brubeck issued the following statement in support of the bill (S. 622), which was introduced in the U.S. Senate on March 14 by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and would ensure controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) cannot be mandated on taxpayer-funded construction projects. 

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 15– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has named Adam Ruff of Ely, Iowa, field supervisor at Price Electric, its 2017 Craft Professional of the Year. Ruff received the honor at ABC’s Careers in Construction awards ceremony on March 3 during ABC’s Workforce Week ’17 conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 14 – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today voiced its strong support for the Fair and Open Competition Act (S. 622). The bill, introduced by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), will reduce costs for taxpayers by encouraging all qualified construction companies to compete for federal and federally funded construction projects. S. 622 prevents federal agencies and recipients of federal funding from requiring contractors to sign controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of winning federal or federally assisted construction contracts.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 13 – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today praised President Trump’s executive order calling for greater government efficiency and urged the administration and Congress to take steps to reduce the cost of public construction projects in a statement from ABC Vice President of Labor, Regulatory and State Affairs Ben Brubeck.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 8– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced the winners of the 30th annual National Craft Championships (NCC) during its Careers in Construction awards ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The ceremony took place March 3 at the conclusion of ABC’s Workforce Week '17.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 6– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today commended the U.S. Senate for joining the U.S. House of Representatives in passing legislation (H.J. Res. 37)that will block implementation of the Obama administration's controversial Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, commonly referred to as “blacklisting,” through the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 2– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced that it has awarded National Diversity Excellence Awards to five member companies: Hensel Phelps, Wu & Associates Inc., Diversity Construction Group, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo and United Rentals Inc. Representatives from each company received the award on March 1 at ABC’s 27th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during the association’s Workforce Week ‘17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 2– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced the winners of the 2016 National Safety Awards at Workforce Week ’17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A total of 44 ABC member companies were recognized for their safety performance on March 1 during the 27th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 2– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) honored 98 projects collectively worth $2.4 billion at the 27th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC’s Workforce Week ‘17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb., 28- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) issued the following statement from Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen in response to President Trump’s pledge to commit needed resources to rebuild American infrastructure and to work with the business community to craft a transparent regulatory system that will encourage business investment during tonight’s address to the joint session of Congress: