About TheTruthAboutPLAs.com

TheTruthAboutPLAs.com is a project of Associated Builders and Contractors designed to track and disseminate news and relevant information about the detrimental effects of government-mandated project labor agreements. PLAs are costly and discriminatory pre-hire construction agreements that effectively restrict qualified American merit shop contractors and their skilled employees from bidding and working on construction projects.

Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 21,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 68 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at www.abc.org.

ABC was founded in 1950 when seven contractors gathered in Baltimore, Md. to create an association based on the shared belief that construction projects should be awarded on merit to the most qualified and responsible low bidders. Their courage and dedication to the merit shop philosophy spread rapidly, and within time, ABC became the fastest-growing association in the United States.

Today, ABC is recognized as one of the leading organizations representing America’s business community and the U.S. construction industry.

ABC’s Vision is to lead the construction industry, promoting and defending the guiding principles of the merit shop and free enterprise whereby anyone can succeed solely on merit.

Our Bloggers

Ben Brubeck is the Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs for Associated Builders & Contractors in their National office in Washington, D.C. Brubeck has been with ABC National Government Affairs since October 2003 and previously served in a variety of positions advocating for ABC member companies and employees. A recognized leader in both state and federal labor and procurement issues, Brubeck has extensive experience with union-only project labor agreements (PLAs), Davis-Bacon and state prevailing wage laws, and public-private partnerships (P3s) among other key federal and state contracting and labor matters throughout the United States.

Prior to joining ABC, Brubeck was the 2003 James A. Finnegan Foundation Fellow and was employed as a fellow at the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee. Brubeck has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA and is a native of Connecticut.

Andy Conlin served as the Director of State and Local Affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) in Washington, D.C. from 2008 through June 2015. He is a leader on construction labor issues, with experience in, among other issues, project labor agreement (PLA) mandates, union corporate campaigns, and state prevailing wage requirements. In this capacity, Mr. Conlin led ABC’s successful multi-state effort to guarantee government neutrality with regard to PLA mandates on state and local construction projects throughout the United States.

Previously, Mr. Conlin gained extensive experience in state legislative affairs as a Maryland state legislative staffer and as an analyst with a private consulting firm in Virginia. He is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan and a graduate of Purdue University.

Kevin Dayton served as the State Government Affairs Director for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of California through March 2012 before starting his own California-based firms, Labor Issues Solutions, LLC and the Dayton Public Policy Institute. He coordinated ABC’s state and local political operations, including issue analysis and the development and implementation of strategies to protect open bid competition and freedom of choice in apprenticeship training.

Dayton held various government affairs management positions for ABC at the federal, state, and local level from 1995 to 2012. Before working for ABC, Dayton was a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Representative Gary A. Franks (R-CT). Dayton graduated from Yale University.

Maurice Baskin is a shareholder with the law firm Littler Mendelson LLP, based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Baskin focuses on all aspects of labor and employment law representing construction industry employers, including many government contractors. He also serves as General Counsel to Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. He has appeared frequently before the National Labor Relations Board and the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He is listed as one of the Top 100 labor lawyers in the country by the Labor Relations Institute and is identified in Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America as one of the top labor and employment lawyers in the DC area.

Brandon Ray is a manager of State and Local Affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors. Brandon came to ABC from Bloomberg BNA, where he worked on regulatory analysis and research solutions spanning environmental safety, health care, labor and employment, transportation and occupational safety and health issues. Brandon also has extensive political experience prior to his work with BBNA. He was part of the finance team for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2010 election cycle, in which the Republicans won a record 83 seats in the House, followed by serving as Rep. Robert Hurt’s district and state fundraiser during Hurt’s freshman cycle in Congress. In addition, Brandon spent time in government affairs at Altarum Institute, a public health systems nonprofit consulting firm, helping move their advocacy agenda forward in the face of the shifting policy environment in the healthcare sphere. Brandon hails from Richmond, Va., and is a graduate of Bridgewater College, where he majored in International Studies.

Nick Steingart is the manager of state and local affairs for ABC National where he works with ABC Chapters to help advance their policy and political goals related to labor and employment, workforce development, infrastructure and safety issue areas, among others. He joined ABC in October 2017 after two years at the Republican State Leadership Committee and has also worked on state legislative campaigns and in the Florida House of Representatives in the Office of Bill Drafting.

On occasion, TheTruthAboutPLAs.com will host the opinions of non-affiliated bloggers. While we attempt to broaden the discussion, we do not claim responsibility for their views, opinions, or statements.

Disclaimer: Nothing in the comments or views posted on this site should be considered to be legal advice or opinion.

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    Email: StateAffairs[at]abc[dot]org

    Associated Builders and Contractors: (202) 595-1505

    2 Responses to About TheTruthAboutPLAs.com

    Asked about ‘Nearly $400 Million’ in Silver Line Savings, Comstock Points to Campaign Donor | Ashburn Rising October 29, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    […] other two links each led to the same article on a website called The Truth About PLAs (TAP), a project created by Associated Builder and Contractors Inc. (ABC), the members of which were among those protesting against PLAs in the Times-Mirror article. A […]

    Sam Marasco September 30, 2018 at 2:42 pm

    So you guys are basically a union of non union contractors? You promote right to work laws. So if a “member” contractor refused to pay your “fees” do they still get to continue using the services and or benefits of the ABC? Just curious if you practice what you preach?

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