On Sept. 2, ABC submitted comments in support of the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule to end discrimination and streamline rules for registered apprenticeships, Prohibiting Illegal Discrimination in Registered Apprenticeship Programs. For more information, see ABC’s Newsline article.

On June 25, the Coalition for Workplace Safety sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in support of David Keeling’s nomination to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. The committee is considering additional nominees at the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, including:

• Nomination of Penny Schwinn to serve as Deputy Secretary of Education, Department of Education
• Nomination of Kimberly Richey to serve as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education
• Nomination of Daniel Aronowitz to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor  
• Nomination of Jonathan Berry to serve as Solicitor, Department of Labor
• Nomination of Andrew Rogers to serve as Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor
• Nomination of Anthony D’Esposito to serve as Inspector General, Department of Labor
• Nomination of Andrea Lucas to serve as a Member, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
• Nomination of Jeremiah Workman to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training, Department of Labor

In response to a request from the Office of Management and Budget for stakeholder recommendations to cut federal red tape, ABC submitted a letter outlining arguments for rescinding 10 final rules promulgated by the Biden administration, including project labor agreement mandates, Davis-Bacon Act updates, overtime, independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA walkaround and the noncompete clause ban, as well as withdrawing the heat rule as proposed.

On March 24, ABC joined over 300 other trade associations in a letter urging the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to refrain from imposing its proposed actions in response to the Section 301 investigation of China’s targeting the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance.

“We support scrutiny of China’s efforts to dominate the maritime industry,” the letter reads. However, USTR’s proposed actions will not deter China’s broader maritime ambitions and will instead directly hurt American businesses and consumers. Specifically, USTR’s proposed fees will increase shipping costs, container and non-containerized, by at least 25% ($600-$800 or more), adding approximately $30 billion in annual costs on U.S. businesses and farmers.”

The letter went on to acknowledge the intended goal of supporting a domestic shipbuilding industry but explained that the proposed export requirements would force a reduction in U.S. exports, contrary to the Trump Administration’s America First trade goals.

On Jan. 9, ABC and a diverse group of two dozen construction and business groups sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging him to eliminate President Joe Biden’s final rule implementing Executive Order 14063 requiring federal construction contracts of $35 million or more to be subjected to anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreements. The coalition letter also called for the repeal of additional Biden administration policies pushing PLA mandates and preferences on federally assisted construction projects procured by private developers and local and state governments.

“In place of these failed Biden administration policies, we request a new executive order that restricts government-mandated PLAs and restores robust fair and open competition on federal and federally assisted construction projects,” said the coalition letter. “This will save taxpayers an estimated $10 billion per year on public works projects annually and restore opportunities for all of the construction industry to rebuild America."

Learn more here.

On March 24, ABC joined a coalition of national, state and local trade associations in a letter to the President, urging the administration’s active engagement with the parties to help them reach a final contract, bring the negotiations to a close and end the uncertainty surrounding the operations of the West Coast ports. West Coast port labor negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association have been ongoing since May 2022 with the lack of a solution resulting in a decrease in cargo volumes at West Coast ports, in part to avoid the potential fall-out should the ongoing talks fail.

On March 9, the White House releases the President’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which renews calls for tax hikes to support Democrats federal spending priorities in the coming years. ABC joined a broad coalition of organizations in a letter opposing the president’s tax hikes, which would hit small businesses the hardest.

While the president’s budget is not typically approved by Congress, it highlights the administration’s priorities for the coming year and provides a blueprint for his message should he decide to seek another term in office. Throughout the budget proposal, the President also calls for the creation of union only jobs on critical federal construction projects, alluding to the administration’s continued support for ABC-opposed policies that will limit job-opportunities for hard-working Americans in the construction industry.