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THE VOICE OF THE MERIT SHOP

ABC is the voice of the merit shop on Capitol Hill! Sending letters to Congress allows ABC to publicly advocate for the views and interests of our more than 23,000 members. By corresponding with U.S. House of Representatives and Senate members, ABC promotes fair and open competition in the construction industry and fights to protect merit shop contractors around the country.

ABC Opposes FLCA Ahead of Senate HELP Hearing

On Oct. 8, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing titled “Labor Law Reform Part 1: Diagnosing the Issues, Exploring Current Proposals.” The hearing considered existing legislative labor and employment reforms, including the Faster Labor Contracts Act (H.R.5408/S.844), National Right to Work Act (S. 533), Protecting the Right to Organize Act (H.R.20/S.852), the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (H.R.4896/S. 2613), and others.

Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee urging Senators to oppose the PRO Act and the Faster Labor Contracts Act. “ABC believes there is a better path forward—one that prioritizes collaboration over coercion. Congress should focus on empowering all Americans, regardless of union affiliation, to learn, advance and succeed based on their skills, safety record and merit,” the letter reads. “Encouraging workforce development, adopting an all-of-the-above approach to apprenticeship and reducing regulatory barriers will strengthen both employee opportunity and the nation’s economic competitiveness. Such efforts represent true labor reform—centered on freedom, fairness and the American worker.”

In addition, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace also sent a letter opposing the FLCA and the Hawley Labor Policy framework and in support of various existing legislative labor reforms, including the:

On September 16, Rep. Pete Stauber introduced the ABC-opposed FLCA in the House, an effort to strip workers and employers of their right to freely negotiate workplace conditions. Specifically, the FLCA imposes a 10-day time period for an employer and union to begin negotiating following a representation election as well as a requirement that a bargaining agreement be finalized in 90 days. The consequences for not obtaining such an agreement will likely be mandatory, binding arbitration, which will allow the federal government to set the terms of private contracts without the input or consent from the employees, employers or unions involved. For more information, read ABC’s press release. On Oct. 1, CDW sent a letter to members of the U.S. House urging them to oppose the FLCA.