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Project Labor Agreements Will Crush SUNY/CUNY Schools
The Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (“ABC”), representing hundreds of merit-shop contractors and subcontractors employing hundreds of thousands of workers throughout New York, strongly opposes S.6050. This bill would mandate that all SUNY and CUNY construction projects over $3 million have a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) attached. If PLAs are mandated on…
2024 Budget Testimony: Economic Development
Thank you for the opportunity to share our testimony with you and the members of the Senate and Assembly on economic development in our state. The Associated Builders & Contractors, Empire State Chapter (ABC) is a construction trade association representing hundreds of open shop contractors, employing tens of thousands of workers across New York State.…
2024 Budget Testimony: Transportation
The Associated Builders & Contractors, Empire State Chapter (ABC) is a construction trade association representing hundreds of merit shop contractors, employing hundreds of thousands of workers across New York State. We thank the Legislature for the opportunity to speak on such an important topic that impacts the quality of life of every single New Yorker:…
2024 Construction Workforce Shortage Tops Half a Million
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31-The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 501,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2024 to meet the demand for labor, according to a proprietary model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors. In 2025, the industry will need to bring in nearly 454,000 new workers on…
80% of New York Construction Workers Do Not Belong to a Union
According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of 2023 state union membership data published recently by UnionStats.com, 80% of New York’s construction workers in private industry do not belong to a union. Nationwide, a record 89.3% of construction workers do not belong to a union, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 88.3% in…
ABC: A Record 89.3% of the U.S. Construction Industry Is Not Part of a Union
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23-According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2023 Union Members Summary released today, a historic low of 10.7% of the construction industry belongs to a union, a decline from 11.7% in 2022. BLS reports that 7.9 million construction workers were not members of a union in 2023.…
How NY Comes Back From Last Place
NY Ranked LAST in Pro-Construction Growth – Here Are Three Ways to Fix It In her 2024 address, Governor Hochul renewed her commitment to building more affordable housing units and fixing our crumbling infrastructure; we fully support these goals. The current construction climate of New York,k unfortunately, means that these lofty goals will once again…
PLAs Will Kneecap SUNY/CUNY Innovation
On Tuesday, Governor Hochul delivered her FY-25 Budget Address. As we continue to sift through her proposals, we’re pleased to see her plan to allocate $2.4 Billion for SUNY and CUNY projects. This funding is crucial and will significantly benefit institutions such as the University at Buffalo, Buffalo State, Fredonia State, and ECC, currently facing…
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Inches Higher in December, Contractor Confidence Improves
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16-Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 8.6 months in December from 8.5 months in November, according to an ABC member survey conducted Dec. 20 to Jan. 4. The reading is down 0.6 months from December 2022. View ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index tables for December. View the…
Builders, affordable housing groups demand repeal of N.Y. Scaffold Law this session
Builders, contractors and New York affordable housing experts Wednesday could not name a housing proposal in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State they disliked, but said they will push for additional policy changes to improve supply across the state, including repealing the state’s nearly 170-year-old scaffolding law. Hochul’s plans to improve affordable housing in…