December 2023 Update: ABC’s Fight Against Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
Since President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14063, Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, on Feb. 4, 2022, mandating inflationary and anti-competitive project labor agreements on federal construction projects of $35 million or more, numerous lawmakers and taxpayer and construction industry groups have renewed fierce opposition to the Biden administration’s push for […]
Biden Administration’s Inflationary Project Labor Agreement Mandate Policy Nears Release
On Sept. 7, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council’s final rule on the Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, which would mandate anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreements on large-scale federal construction contracts, arrived at the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review. This is the final step before […]
Construction Industry Applauds House Committee’s Passage of the Fair and Open Competition Act Targeting Biden’s Project Labor Agreement Schemes
Associated Builders and Contractors applauded the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability’s July 12 passage of the Fair and Open Competition Act, H.R. 1209. FOCA would protect federal and federally assisted construction contracts from anti-competitive and inflationary government-mandated project labor agreements and allow merit shop contractors and their skilled employees to have a fair […]
Biden’s Project Labor Agreement Schemes Aggravate Construction Industry’s Skilled Labor Shortage
The construction industry is projecting a historic shortage of more than half a million skilled workers in 2023. It is also facing serious supply chain disruptions unprecedented materials cost inflation of 39% since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty caused by a tsunami of Biden administration regulations impacting the construction industry. The Biden administration […]
More Data: Project Labor Agreement Schemes Hurt Vast Majority of U.S. Construction Workforce
TheTruthAboutPLAs.com previously reported that more than 88% of the U.S. construction industry workforce does not belong to a union. Government data collected and published by UnionStats.com provides this information for each state’s construction industry workforce. How does your state rank? In More Than Half of U.S. States, at Least 90% of the Construction Workforce Does […]
A Win for Fair and Open Competition: Wyoming Passes Law Restricting Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
Associated Builders and Contractors praised the Wyoming legislature and Gov. Mark Gordon for enacting SF 147, the Fair and Open Competition Act, which protects Wyoming taxpayers by ensuring all of the state’s skilled construction workforce can compete on a level playing field for contracts to build state, state-assisted and local public works projects. Once in […]
Coalition Questions Project Labor Agreement Scheme in CHIPS Funding for Semiconductor Plant Construction
On March 7, a diverse group of 17 construction and business associations urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to ensure taxpayer investments in the semiconductor industry are not needlessly constrained by anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreement schemes imposed through after-the-fact regulatory action by the Biden administration. According to the coalition letter, a project labor agreement preference […]
Fair and Open Competition Legislation Combating Inflationary Project Labor Agreement Schemes Introduced in 118th Congress
Associated Builders and Contractors and a broad coalition of construction industry stakeholders voiced its strong support for the Fair and Open Competition Act (H.R. 1209 / S. 537), which has been reintroduced in the 118th Congress by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., in the U.S. Senate, and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., in the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 27. […]
BLS: A Record 88% of America’s Construction Industry Does Not Belong to a Union
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual Union Members Summary released Jan. 19, 2023, the percent of construction industry wage and salary workers belonging to unions dropped to a record low of 11.7%, a decline from 12.6% in 2021. Analysis of BLS data found that a historically high 88.3% of the […]
ABC, Lawmakers and Industry Groups Call on President Biden to Withdraw His Inflationary Project Labor Agreement Mandate Policies
On October 19, 2022, Associated Builders and Contractors submitted more than 40 pages of comments to the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council calling on the Biden administration to withdraw a controversial proposed rule that would require anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreements on federal construction contracts of $35 million or more. ABC’s opposition is joined by more […]