Contractors’ annual workforce development outlays surpass $1.5 billion

Associated Builders and Contractors member contractors invested $1.6 billion to provide more than 1.3 million course attendees with craft, leadership and safety education in 2021, up from $1.3 billion in 2020. The group’s 2022 Workforce Development Survey quantifies the scope of member initiatives to advance their employees’ commercial and industrial construction careers. Safety education accounted for the greatest share, or…

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ORGANIZATIONS – MAY 2022

During last month’s Annual Membership Meeting, the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association elected inaugural Chairwoman Karen Hubacz, chief executive officer of Bond Construction Corp., Spencer, Mass. aggregate and asphalt supplier. She succeeds Darin Matson of Nashville-based Rogers Group, under whose leadership, noted NSSGA CEO Michael Johnson, “Our industry has adapted to succeed during the Covid-19 pandemic. I know that…

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Survey confirms Davis-Bacon prevailing wage scheme’s inflationary impact

Sources: Associated Builders and Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff The Department of Labor’s flawed method of calculating “prevailing wages” under the 91-year-old Davis-Bacon Act adds at least 7.2 percent to the cost of federal and federally assisted construction projects and inflates wages by 20.2 percent compared to local market averages, according to a new report from the Beacon Hill Institute,…

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Contractors’ annual workforce development tally exceeds $1.5 billion

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors, Washington, D.C. Associated Builders and Contractors members invested $1.6 billion to provide more than 1.3 million course attendees with craft, leadership and safety education in 2021, according to the group’s 2022 Workforce Development Survey, up from $1.3 billion in 2020. The annual assessment quantifies the scope of ABC member workforce development initiatives to advance employee…

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ORGANIZATIONS – April 2022

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute joined other organizations around the world in recognizing International Women’s Day. The early-March event is aimed at increasing awareness about issues impacting women’s equality; calling out inequality while working to forge positive action; recognizing where important gains are being made; and, celebrating women’s accomplishments.  “I want to work with members to achieve the goal of creating…

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Construction coalition counters project labor agreement scheme

The Associated Builders and Contractors, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, and 13 other industry organizations—collectively representing tens of thousands of companies and millions of employees—oppose a recent White House move to require government-mandated project labor agreements (PLA) on federal or federally assisted construction contracts. “We applaud the administration’s leadership to improve and build new roads, bridges, schools, affordable housing and…

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ABC counters administration’s PLA, union organizing push

In light of White House “Build Back Better” ambitions, Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck questions a new executive order encouraging project labor agreement (PLA) mandates on federal construction contracts exceeding $35 million.  “The policy will not help America; instead, it will exacerbate the industry’s skilled workforce shortage, needlessly increase construction costs…

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Feds revisit Davis-Bacon prevailing wage math, calculation methods

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor; Associated Builders and Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff The Labor Department Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will soon open a public comment period for its formal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations” (DBRA). Regulatory changes outlined will improve WHD’s ability to administer and enforce DBRA labor standards on federally funded…

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Construction coalition counters project labor agreement scheme

Sources: Associate Builders and Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff The Associated Builders and Contractors, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and 12 other industry organizations—collectively representing tens of thousands of companies and millions of employees—oppose a recent White House move to require government-mandated project labor agreements (PLA) on federal or federally assisted construction contracts. “We…

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Florida returns to top ranking on state construction business climate survey

The Associated Builders and Contractors’ seventh annual Merit Shop Scorecard salutes the Sunshine State for fostering a climate friendly to construction interests and their clients. The group determines the ranking on state policies and programs that encourage workforce development, grow career and technical education, strengthen careers in construction and advocate for fair and open competition for taxpayer-funded projects. Florida returned…

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