ABC September 21 sent a letter to Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, opposing any infrastructure proposal that includes anti-competitive union-favoring government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs).
The letter was sent in advance of their full committee hearing, “Investing in Infrastructure: Creating Jobs and Growing the Economy.” ABC commended the committee for holding this hearing in the wake of the 17 percent unemployment rate affecting the construction industry.
ABC expressed opposition to certain provisions attached to infrastructure proposals, such as the use of PLAs which favor unions and drive up federal construction costs.
“Only 14.5 percent of America’s construction workforce belongs to a union—this means PLAs would discriminate against more than eight out of ten construction workers who would otherwise work on construction projects if not for a PLA,” ABC wrote. “Attempting to stimulate the economy by investing in our nation’s infrastructure is unlikely to succeed when the federal government employs policies that effectively preclude 85 percent of the nation’s construction industry from participating.”
In order to effectively create jobs, ABC believes the following key issues must be addressed, as detailed in their
Jobs Creation Proposal: eliminate uncertainty in the business environment by focusing on free enterprise initiatives and open competition instead of anti-business legislative and regulatory proposals; provide meaningful tax relief; enact a national comprehensive energy plan that includes new construction and upgrades to the nation’s insufficient and crumbling infrastructure; and lift Davis-Bacon Act requirements on stimulus funds.