Missouri Governor Signs ABC-supported Law to Protect Taxpayers, Construction Industry from Project Labor Agreement Mandates; ABC Urges Federal Action

WASHINGTON, May 30—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded Gov. Eric Greitens (R-Mo.) for signing legislation into law that will promote fair and open competition on contracts for construction services funded by Missouri taxpayers. SB 182 ensures controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) cannot be mandated by the government on state, state-assisted and local construction projects, guaranteeing that the almost three out of four members of Missouri’s private construction workforce who have chosen not to join a labor union can fairly compete to work on projects funded by their own tax dollars. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 22 States

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 30—April not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates were down in 22 states and unchanged in two (Arkansas and California) on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). However, the national NSA construction unemployment rate of 6.3 percent was up 0.3 percent from April 2016, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read the rest of entry »

Study: Project Labor Agreement Mandates Inflate Cost of Construction 13 Percent

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 25— A study released today by The Beacon Hill Institute found that Ohio schools built under government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) cost 13.12 percent more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements. The study looked at 88 schools built in Ohio since 2000 and found that those built under a PLA mandate cost $23.12 more per square foot than projects built without PLA mandates. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 27 States, ABC Says

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 2—March not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates were down in nationally and in 27 states and unchanged in two on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The national NSA construction unemployment rate of 8.4 percent was down 0.3 percent from March 2016, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors Celebrates National Safety Week

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1— Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) celebrates Safety Week 2017 with a call for the construction industry to pledge support for substance abuse prevention and implement additional safety processes that lead to world-class safety performance. According to a recent ABC report, member construction firms with a substance abuse program in place reduce their incident rates by more than one-third compared to the industry average, and those that implement proactive best practices in 20 key safety components reduce recordable incidents by up to 87 percent. Read the rest of entry »

Trump Admin’s First 100 Days Have Brought Improved Business Climate for Construction Industry

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 28— Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today praised President Trump for taking important steps to create a pro-growth business environment in a statement from ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman. Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors Congratulates Labor Secretary Acosta

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 27— Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today congratulated R. Alexander Acosta on being confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in a statement from President and CEO Michael Bellaman. Read the rest of entry »

Wisconsin Becomes the 23rd State to Pass ABC-supported Bill to Protect Taxpayers, Workers from Project Labor Agreement Mandates; ABC Urges Federal Action

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) for signing legislation into law that will promote fair and open competition on contracts for construction services funded by Wisconsin taxpayers. The bill, SB 3, will ensure that the government cannot mandate controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) on state, state-assisted and local construction projects, guaranteeing that the almost three out of four members of Wisconsin’s private construction workforce who have chosen not to join a labor union can work on projects funded by their own tax dollars.
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Iowa Governor Signs Bill to Protect Taxpayers, Boost Jobs for Iowa’s Construction Industry

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 13—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded Gov. Terry Branstad (R-Iowa) for signing legislation into law that will promote fair and open competition on contracts for construction services funded by Iowa taxpayers. The bill, SF 438, will ensure that the government cannot mandate controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) on state, state-assisted and local construction projects, guaranteeing that the 85 percent of Iowa’s private construction workforce that has chosen not to join a labor union can work on projects funded by their own tax dollars. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 25 States

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 5— Construction unemployment rates were down in 25 states and unchanged in four in February on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The national not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rate of 8.8 percent was up 0.1 percent from February 2016, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read the rest of entry »