As the federal government continues to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 health and economic crisis, ABC has advocated for and supported critical policies enacted by the U.S. Congress. ABC also urges Congress to consider necessary modifications to current programs and additional relief to ensure our nation’s construction industry remains strong and ready to lead the economic comeback once the crisis is over.
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On Aug. 24, 2016, the Obama administration issued the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces (or “blacklisting”) final rule, which would have threatened federal contractors’ due process rights, injected unwarranted subjectivity and added needless and duplicative layers of bureaucracy into the federal acquisition process.
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Anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements end open, fair and competitive bidding on contracts to build taxpayer-funded construction projects. Government-mandated PLAs discourage merit shop contractors from bidding on taxpayer-funded construction contracts and drive up costs by between 12% and 20%, which results in fewer infrastructure improvements and reduced construction industry job creation.
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At 90-years-old, the Davis-Bacon Act is a law that requires contractors and subcontractors that perform work on federally funded or assisted construction contracts in excess of $2,000 to pay a government-determined “prevailing” wage and benefit rate on an hourly basis to on-site workers.
Administered and enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor, the archaic Davis-Bacon Act and related regulations needlessly stifle contractor productivity, raise construction costs and discourage competition from small businesses interested in pursuing federal and federally assisted construction contracts. The practical impact of the Davis-Bacon Act is that it spends taxpayer investment in infrastructure inefficiently, resulting in fewer construction projects and quality jobs created.
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The five-member National Labor Relations Board is tasked with interpreting and enforcing the National Labor Relations Act. The agency is supposed to serve as a neutral arbiter of federal labor law.
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As Congress continues to pursue reforms to fix our nation’s broken immigration system, ABC is committed to supporting immigration policies that address the workforce needs of the construction industry.
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The commercial and industrial construction industry has a unique interest in energy policy, as it is not only a large-scale energy consumer, but also acts as a key facilitator of domestic energy exploration, production and transportation.
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Providing quality health care benefits is a top priority for ABC and its member companies. ABC continues to advocate for policies that would address the skyrocketing costs of health insurance and provide greater choice. The massive and complex Affordable Care Act fails to lower health insurance premiums for hard-working Americans and imposes new taxes as well as costly and burdensome federal mandates on ABC member companies.
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Independent contractors are an important part of the construction industry due to its fluctuating work demands, and they often are the answer to a pressing demand for the special skills and know-how required for short-term projects.
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ABC is committed to promoting healthy and safe work environments. ABC understands the importance of common-sense regulations based on sound evidence and scientific analysis with appropriate consideration paid to implementation costs and input from employers. Many ABC companies have implemented safety programs that are among the best programs in the industry, often far exceeding legal requirements.
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ABC is committed to reforming the broken federal regulatory process and ensuring industry stakeholders' voices are heard and rights are protected.
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Currently, the preferred method for determining whether employees want union representation is a secret ballot election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
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Right to Work laws guarantee workers can seek employment without fearing they will be required to join (or pay) a union if they are hired.
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Salting is not merely an organizing tool—it has become an instrument of economic destruction aimed at nonunion companies.
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While the construction industry historically has paid the highest effective tax rate of any economic sector in the country, with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), a clear majority of construction companies will benefit from the new 20 percent deduction for qualified business income for pass-throughs.
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