Posts by tschmidt@abcnys.org

​Exposing the Epidemic of Workers’ Compensation Fraud in New York: A Call to Action for Lawmakers A recent ABC News investigation has brought to light a disturbing trend in New York’s construction industry: the staging of workplace accidents to fraudulently claim workers’ compensation benefits. These orchestrated incidents not only undermine the integrity of the workers’…

Monthly Construction Economic Survey Shows Tariff Impacts Emerge Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.5 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since March 2024. View ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index tables for March. View…

Tariffs, Slowdowns, and a Recession? The Latest Economic Forecast for Builders ​In a recent article published by Construction Executive on April 4, 2025, titled “Recession Has Already Begun in America: Anirban Basu on State of U.S. Construction Economy After ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs,” the publication discusses the current state of the U.S. economy and its implications…

New York Isn’t Ready for the Advanced Clean Truck Rule New York’s lawmakers must act now by passing S.5931 / A.6359 to delay the implementation of the Advanced Clean Truck Rule. While we fully support the long-term goal of reducing emissions and promoting cleaner technologies, the hard truth is this: New York simply does not…

Don’t Make Long Island School Construction Unaffordable Proposed legislation (S.1672/A.756) mandating Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on Long Island school construction would increase costs and hinder critical upgrades to our classrooms. A PLA dictates who a contractor can hire—typically requiring that 3 out of 4 workers come from union halls. But 80% of Long Island’s construction workforce is nonunion, meaning most local workers would…

Trump Rescinds Biden PLA Mandate Associated Builders and Contractors today issued the following statement applauding President Donald Trump’s recent executive order rescinding harmful Biden administration executive actions that needlessly increased costs, restricted competition, exacerbated construction’s labor shortage and delayed taxpayer-funded construction of critical infrastructure, manufacturing and clean energy projects. “President Trump’s elimination of President Joe Biden’s failed…

Construction Material Prices Surge in Feb. Construction input prices increased 0.6% in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.6% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 0.3% higher than one year ago, while…

Keep Prevailing Wage Out of Private Construction As budget negotiations heat up in Albany, one misguided proposal keeps resurfacing: expanding prevailing wage mandates to private construction projects that receive any level of public assistance. This idea may sound like a win for workers on the surface, but in practice, it’s a recipe for higher costs,…

NYCOSH Must Stop Exploiting Tragedy for Political Gain  Every year, the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH) distorts construction safety data to further its anti-open shop agenda. Instead of presenting an honest assessment, NYCOSH inflates fatality numbers by including incidents unrelated to building construction, such as window washing to mislead the public…

ABC Empire State Chapter Opposes Legislation to Mandate Project Labor Agreements on Long Island School Construction The Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), which represents hundreds of contractors and subcontractors employing hundreds of thousands of workers across New York State, strongly opposes the proposed legislation (S.1672 (Martinez) / A.756 (Solages) mandating Project…