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 »

Construction Industry Praises President Trump for Eliminating Burdensome Obama-era Recordkeeping Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 4— Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today commended President Trump for signing a resolution into law eliminating the Obama administration’s controversial “Volks rule” (formally known as Clarification of an Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness final rule). Congress passed the resolution through the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Read the rest of entry »

Majority of Florida Construction Firms Plan to Hire in ’17; Worker Availability a Major Concern

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. Read the rest of entry »

House Committee Approves ABC-supported Bill to Increase Competition, Lower Costs on Federal Construction Contracts

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. Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors Praises President Trump for Eliminating Illegal Obama Blacklisting Rule

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. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 10 States Year-Over-Year

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). Read the rest of entry »

Senate Passes ABC-supported Resolution to Block Overreaching OSHA Recordkeeping Rule

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). Read the rest of entry »

Alabama Electrical Training Instructor Named ABC’s Craft Instructor of the Year

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. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Report: Safety Best Practices Can Make Construction Companies 770% Safer

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. Read the rest of entry »