President’s Letter: Sharing ABC’s Voice of the Merit Shop

Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. is the voice of the merit shop in the construction industry. We assume the responsibility of making that voice heard. We believe that the merit shop movement is a movement for the betterment of the individual, the industry, and the nation. We believe in the system of free enterprise and open competition. We would also like to thank each of you for your efforts over the past year. Without the entire association working together, the following achievements would not have been possible on a national level:

Health and Safety

• Total Human Health is now a core component of STEP, raising its awareness as a vital pillar of safety.

• STEP participation grew 14% over 2021 reaching an all-time high participation in 2022.

Workforce Development

• All chapters are utilizing the ABC Workforce Development Framework and measuring the number of entry point programs being utilized to develop and attract top talent to our industry.

• ABC Accredited Quality Contractors reached a record high growth of 22.7%, showcasing our members’ commitment to safety, workforce development, IDE, and talent management.

Membership Growth

• ABC reached a historical national membership retention of 91.4% by continuing to deliver value to our members.

• 8,982 employees used the ABC Marketplace in 2022.

Political Advocacy

• In 2022 ABC kept its promise to preserve and advance free and open competition through relentless education, marketing, and fundraising to the entire ABC community and engage nontraditional stakeholders.

• Every chapter raised FEA & PAC dollars in 2022, resulting in a record of $2,816,400 in FEA and $979,941 in PAC contributions, amplifying our political advocacy efforts during a critical election year.

• ABC took the lead and successfully fought off construction industry vaccine mandates.

• Through ABC’s efforts - No PRO Act, No PLA Mandates on Federal Projects in 2022, 24 FOCA States, FOCA Sponsors.

• ABC and its members made 394 lawmaker visits –A RECORD!

• ABC across the nation had 35/ day media hits, totaling 12,612+775% since 2014.

It is an operating principle of ABC to be an organization of high trust, high collaboration, and effective communication to deliver value to our members, and I encourage you to take a deeper dive into your organization and maximize it to the fullest.

Michele Daugherty ceo@abccentralflorida.org 407-628-2070

THE FAIR AND OPEN COMPETITION FIGHT CONTINUES …

On February 28, 2023, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. introduced H.R. 1209/S. 537, the Fair and Open Competition Act (FOCA). There are 79 original cosponsors in the House and 18 in the Senate. The Fair and Open Competition Act protects federal and federally assisted construction contracts from government-mandated PLAs and will allow merit shop contractors to have a fair chance at competing to rebuild America. With 88.3% of the U.S. private construction workforce choosing not to belong to a union, PLA mandates discourage experienced contractors and their employees from competing to win taxpayer-funded contracts to rebuild their communities.

As the administration implements the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other legislation funding public works construction projects, ABC is concerned with its record of favoring the expansion of government-mandated PLAs on federal and federally assisted construction projects. Policies promoting or mandating PLAs will needlessly increase construction costs 12% to 20%, resulting in fewer infrastructure projects and jobs created by federal investment in America’s roads, bridges, schools, and water/energy infrastructure.

The ABC-priority FOCA bill is key to ensuring that ABC contractors can build America’s infrastructure through fair and open competition. Ask your federal elected officials to support FOCA and policies that ensure a level playing field for taxpayerfunded contracts and encourages competition from all qualified companies, including small and minority-owned businesses. ABC members and their skilled employees deserve a fair chance to rebuild America at a price that is right for taxpayers.