Blog
Renovation of Jewish Seminary in Morningside Heights Spurs Protest Over Use Of Non-Union Labor
By Ginger Adams Otis of the NY Daily News When is it ethical for a Jewish institution to use non-union labor? It’s up for debate. A renovation of the storied Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan has sparked a heated Rabbinical discourse among students, faculty and alums — all using the Talmud as their guide. The…
Construction Leaders Take to The Airwaves to Educate Congress on Workforce Issues
by Scott Braddock All last week, members of the Associated Builders and Contractors of America were in Washington to talk with members of Congress and others about the need to invest in a future workforce. As part of their effort, ABC’s national leadership took to the airwaves on WTOP Radio to get into the specifics…
Mayor and Building Trades Near Deal on Safety Reforms Amid Increase in Construction Accidents
By Sally Goldenberg 06/05/2017 05:13 AM EDT Mayor Bill de Blasio and construction union leaders, who have recently begun patching up their contentious relationship, are nearing a deal to dramatically increase worker training requirements in response to a recent uptick in injuries and deaths, according to multiple sources briefed on the potential agreement. The proposal…
Crain’s New York: Making Construction Safer In The City Requires Investment, Not Organized Labor
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Nonunion Group Calls on State to Investigate Why Verrazano Bridge Worker Wasn’t Wearing a Safety Harness
A nonunion construction group is calling on the state to investigate why a worker who fell from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge earlier this week wasn’t in a safety harness. The Associated Builders Contractors sent a letter to the state’s Department of Transportation urging the agency to investigate why the worker wasn’t “tied off” when he fell…
ABC Comments On Burdensome EPA Regulations
On May 15, ABC submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on costly and burdensome EPA regulations and policies. In the comment letter, ABC expressed concern that major federal projects have been unnecessarily delayed or abandoned, resulting in jobs being deferred or never created because of a dysfunctional permitting system. ABC supports a streamlined process…
Bipartisan, ABC-Supported Career and Technical Education Bill Introduced in Congress
The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, was introduced in the Committee on Education and the Workforce by Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) on May 4. The ABC-supported legislation would provide more access to valuable career and technical education (CTE) programs and ensure these programs are aligned…
Osha Rescinds “Union Walk Around Rule”
On April 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a memorandum withdrawing a letter of interpretation that stated nonunion employees can authorize an individual “affiliated with a union or a community organization” to act as their representative during agency-sanctioned inspections and other enforcement situations. The 2013 letter of interpretation was written by OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary…
ABC National Chair Calls on Congress to End Government Mandated Project Labor Agreements
2017 ABC National Chair Chuck Goodrich’s op-ed calling on Congress to pass the Fair and Open Competition Act (H.R. 1552/S. 622) was published in The Hill on April 10. This ABC-priority legislation would allow America’s entire construction workforce—including the 86 percent of the private construction workforce that has chosen not to join a labor union—to compete on a level…
A Wisconsin Lesson for Trump the Builder
‘Project labor agreements’ drive up costs on public-works projects. Ben Brubeck April 16, 2017 2:14 p.m. ET President Trump may be a famous builder, but he could learn something about infrastructure from Wisconsin’s Scott Walker and Iowa’s Terry Branstad. On Monday, Gov. Walker is expected to sign a law prohibiting state agencies and local governments…