Blog
ABC Hails Court Decision Blocking Biden Administration’s Independent Contractor Do-Over
WASHINGTON, March 15-The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas today dealt a blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to delay and rescind the Trump administration’s 2021 independent contractor final rule in a decision applauded by Associated Builders and Contractors, which had sued to block those actions. Under the court’s decision, the ABC-supported…
ABC’s Sampson: NY’s Policies Hurt Business’ Chances of Success
CLICK FOR VIDEO Construction unemployment rates in New York State have dropped drastically from a year ago, but NY still lags behind 48 states.That’s according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In December 2020, the rate was 15.9%. A year later in December 2021, the rate was 9.5% Despite that…
To Best Protect Taxpayers, Avoid Imposing a PLA on Stadium Construction
ABC Empire State Chapter President Brian Sampson’s Op-Ed in the Buffalo News. After years of discussion, the Buffalo Bills, their fans and the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan region are finally poised to get a modern stadium that can provide an exceptional gameday experience for one of the most loyal fanbases in professional sports. As negotiations continue,…
State Construction Unemployment Drops Drastically From a Year Ago, NYS Still Lags Behind 48 States
ALBANY, N.Y., Feb. 7 – The not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate for New York state plunged 6.4% in December 2021 from a year ago, down from 15.9 percent to 9.5 percent. In comparison, the national rate dropped to 5 percent, down 4.6 percent from where it was a year ago according to a state-by-state…
ABC Statement: 2022 State of the State
GOV.’S PLAN FOR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT LONG OVERDUE, STATE MUST REFRAIN FROM PLAs A Statement from ABC Empire State Chapter President Brian Sampson “It’s great news to hear that Gov. Hochul has plans to invest and rebuild New York’s crumbling infrastructure. It’s long overdue and something we have been calling for, for years. Let’s be clear,…
OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard Update
1/11/2022 8:00 AM As of this posting , the Supreme Court has not yet issued a decision on the appeal to reinstitute a stay of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which applies to employers with 100 or more employees. Effective Jan.…
ABC Unveils Safety Technology Guide
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6-Associated Builders and Contractors today issued its online Safety Technology Guide, a resource for contractors looking to implement construction technology for the best possible safety performance. “Executing on ABC’s commitment to world-class safety on jobsites requires ABC member contractors to continuously innovate,” said Matt Abeles, ABC vice president of construction technology and innovation. “To…
Study Examines Cost of PLAs to Nonunion Workers and Employers:
ABC issued a press release calling attention to a new report that highlights the negative economic impact of controversial government-mandated project labor agreements on nonunion construction workers, who comprise 87.3% of the construction industry workforce. The study found that the limited number of nonunion craft professionals permitted to work on construction projects subject to a government-mandated…
ABC Underscores the Negative Impact of Encouraging Government-Mandated PLAs in Treasury Rulemaking
On July 15, ABC called for changes to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s interim final rule encouraging project labor agreements and other anti-competitive and costly labor policies on certain state and local projects funded by the American Recovery Plan Act of 2021. Treasury issued the May 17 rulemaking, titled Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, along with its Compliance and…
America desperately needs 1 million more construction workers
The construction industry shut down for a few months last year during the pandemic — but was quickly deemed essential, allowing paused projects to continue. But in that short time, the sector lost more than 1 million workers. The industry has recouped nearly 80% of its workforce since then, but is still down 238,000 workers from pre-pandemic levels as of June, according to the Labor Department.