PLAs, STEP, and the SHED Competition

ABC of the Carolinas - "The Construction Association of Choice"

ABC National Chair Calls on Congress to End Government

Mandated Project Labor Agreements

ABC National Chair Chuck Goodrich's op-ed calling on Congress to pass the Fair and Open Competition Act ( H.R. 1552/ S. 622) was published in The Hill on April 10. This ABC-priority legislation would allow America's entire construction workforce-including the 86 percent of the private construction workforce that has chosen not to join a labor union-to compete on a level playing field by ensuring that taxpayer-funded construction cannot be subjected to costly and discriminatory government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs).

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Help ABC fight PLAs by joining us for the ABC National Legislative Conference. To register, click here.

Wisconsin Becomes the 23rd State to Pass ABC-supported Bill

to Protect Taxpayers, Workers from Project Labor Agreement

Mandates; ABC Urges Federal Action

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) for signing legislation into law that will promote fair and open competition on contracts for construction services funded by Wisconsin taxpayers. Act 3 will ensure that the government cannot mandate controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) on state, state-assisted and local construction projects, guaranteeing that the almost three out of four members of Wisconsin's private construction workforce who have chosen not to join a labor union can work on projects funded by their own tax dollars.

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STEP Deadline Approaching

Safety is a core value - with STEP, you can build upon it.

Organized approach for analyzing and developing safety and loss prevention programs
The Key Component system forms a 20-point guide to starting, updating or auditing a company-wide safety program
Incorporates lagging indicator safety performance data with leading indicator use and self-assessment requirements to give a full, wide ranging report on the entire nature of a company's Safety Program
Designed to benefit both large and small contractors alike
Recognition for ABC members at both National and Chapter level, with various recognition events held throughout the year
Gateway to Accredited Quality Contractor recognition
STEP Diamond and Platinum recipients eligible for ABC National Safety Excellence Award and Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) - CISE award

Applications are due by June 14. To apply online, click here.

Join us for the S.H.E.D. Building Competition

ABC's Schools to Careers Committee has been working in conjunction with Wake County Schools over the last year in an effort to encourage students to take an interest in career opportunities in the construction industry and to revitalize our work forces.

The first annual ABC Students' Hands-on Experience Day (SHED) Competition will be held May 2nd and 3rd, 2017, at Cary High School. Schools will be sending teams of four students per school to compete in a hands-on construction competition focused on safety, quality, communication and planning. Each team will have a limited amount of time to work together to construct a shed which will later be auctioned off and proceeds returned to a fund for future activities involving students in the construction industry.

Click here to contribute or click here to attend the competition.

Construction Input Prices Moderate in March,

Energy Prices Down

Construction input prices rose for the fourth consecutive month in March, increasing by 0.3 percent on a monthly basis and 4.4 percent on a yearly basis, according to analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Nonresidential construction input prices performed similarly, increasing by 0.4 percent for the month and 4.4 percent for the year.

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Arkansas Repeals State Prevailing Wage Law

On April 7, Arkansas Gov.Asa Hutchinson signed a bill repealing the state's prevailing wage law. The legislation, SB 601 (Act 1068), was approved by the Arkansas House of Representatives on March 30 by a vote of 70-24; the Arkansas Senate passed the bill on March 21 by a bipartisan vote of 28-5. Arkansas is now the 22nd state without a prevailing wage and the second state to take significant action on the issue this year. Kentucky signed a prevailing wage repeal bill into law in January. In 2015, Nevada made significant reforms to its prevailing wage law, while Indiana and West Virginia joined the list of states without a prevailing wage.

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