WASHINGTON (April 26, 2022) Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded a letter sent to President Joe Biden by 16 Republican governors, led by Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Bill Lee of Tennessee, opposing the Biden administration’s policies promoting government-mandated project labor agreements (PLA) on taxpayer-funded construction projects.
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) sent the White House a letter that strongly opposed President Biden’s executive order mandating project labor agreements on federal public works projects exceeding $35 million.
The Associated Builders and Contractors association and a coalition of 19 associations and organizations representing the construction industry and business community sent a letter to Congress expressing support for the Fair and Open Competition Act (S. 403/H.R. 1284), sponsored by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C, and strong opposition to government-mandated project labor agreements.
Likewise, taxpayers should be concerned about the expansion of existing controversial policies on federal and federally assisted construction projects that needlessly increase costs to taxpayers, unfairly limit competition by some of America’s best contractors and ultimately exclude almost nine out of 10 of the construction industry’s local workforce from middle-class jobs and benefits resulting from government investment in infrastructure.
Specifically, voters should be concerned by signals from the Biden administration and some in Congress that they plan to expand policies encouraging and mandating project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal and federally assisted construction projects.
When mandated by governments, PLAs interfere with unionized contractors existing collective bargaining agreements and discourage small, women, veteran, minority and other qualified nonunion contractors which employ 87.3% of America’s construction industry from competing to build projects