Biden’s Project Labor Agreement Schemes Exacerbate Construction Industry’s Skilled Labor Shortage
The construction industry is projecting a historic shortage of 650,000 skilled workers in 2022. It is also facing serious supply chain disruptions, unprecedented materials cost inflation of 44% since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and declining investment in nonresidential structures. The Biden administration is aware of these problems that stand to undermine taxpayer investments in […]
President Biden’s Project Labor Agreement Executive Order Will Increase Costs to Taxpayers and Exacerbate Construction Industry Skilled Labor Shortage
Yesterday, Associated Builders and Contractors issued this press release in reaction to President Biden’s long-rumored executive order (see White House fact sheet) pushing government-mandated project labor agreements on certain federal construction contracts. This policy is bad news for taxpayers and the construction industry. President Biden’s Pro-PLA Executive Order Will Increase Costs to Taxpayers and Exacerbate […]
Nonunion Workers Suffer Up to 34% in Wage Theft Under Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22—Associated Builders and Contractors today calls attention to a new report that highlights the negative economic impact of controversial government-mandated project labor agreements on nonunion construction workers, who comprise 87.3% of the construction industry workforce. The study found that the limited number of nonunion craft professionals permitted to work on construction projects subject […]
Advocacy Campaign Opposes Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreement Schemes in Infrastructure Bill
As Congress continues to craft legislation implementing a bipartisan infrastructure framework, ABC issued a July 13 press release announcing a digital advocacy campaign opposing costly government-mandated project labor agreement schemes on the federal infrastructure legislation. ABC-Led Coalition Announces Six-Figure Advocacy Campaign Build America Local, a coalition of construction industry and business organizations led by Associated […]
Biden and Treasury Promote Project Labor Agreement Schemes on Taxpayer-funded Construction Projects in American Rescue Plan
The Biden administration and U.S. Department of the Treasury have taken another unfortunate step promoting anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements on taxpayer-funded construction projects. The latest effort to steer public works construction projects to unionized contractors and union labor at the expense of taxpayers and fair and open competition is sure to create […]
Do Project Labor Agreements Stop Strikes on Construction Jobsites?
Some construction union lobbyists and bosses market anti-competitive and costly project labor agreements to public and private construction owners as a tool to guarantee labor peace on construction jobsites by prohibiting union-led strikes that can delay a project and increase the cost of construction. PLA advocates know that strikes, work stoppages, slowdowns and other labor unrest authorized […]
Taxpayer Bailout of Multiemployer Pension Plans and Government-mandated Project Labor Agreements
On March 11, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) into law, including a controversial provision providing a Congressional Budget Office-estimated $86 billion taxpayer bailout of struggling multiemployer pension plans. The COVID-19 relief bill’s sudden bailout of some MEPPs has been disheartening to some small businesses and firms not affiliated […]
Op-Ed: Build Back Better U.S. Infrastructure with Fair and Open Competition, Free From Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements
The Washington Times published this March 16 op-ed expressing concerns about the expansion of government-mandated project labor agreement policy on taxpayer-funded federal and federally assisted construction projects. Build back better U.S. infrastructure with fair and open competition Taxpayers must hold lawmakers accountable for delivering cost-effective infrastructure projects that will last. Americans are in strong bipartisan […]
Coalition To President Biden: Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements Reduce Competition, Raise Costs on Taxpayer-Funded Construction
On March 5, ABC and a coalition of 14 industry and employer groups sent a letter to President Biden raising concerns about the expansion of policies encouraging or mandating project labor agreements on federal and federally assisted construction projects. ABC and the coalition are monitoring Biden administration executive actions, federal agency policies and legislation introduced in the 117th Congress that […]
Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreement Failures on Federal and Federally Assisted Construction Projects
ABC supports fair and open competition and opposes government-mandated project labor agreements on federal and federally assisted projects because hardworking taxpayers deserve more efficient and effective policies that will encourage all qualified contractors and their skilled workforce to compete to build long-lasting, quality projects at the best price. Just 12.7% of the U.S. construction workforce belongs […]