Associated Builders and Contractors ranks NY among worst construction business environments in U.S.
Associated Builders and Contractors released its eighth annual Merit Shop Scorecard today (December 15), rating New York as a state with a poor business environment for open/merit shop construction contractors. Ranking 44 out of 51 New York rated near the bottom based on state laws, policies, and programs related to open competition and developing current and future craft professionals.
The scorecard ranks each state by regulations significant to local economic and workforce development, such as project labor agreements and workforce development policies, to assess whether states have created an environment where contractors are well-positioned to succeed and where strategic improvements need to be made.
New York’s 2022 Scorecard:
•Overall rank: 44
•Project labor agreement policy: F
•Prevailing wage mandates: F
•Workforce development incentives: A
•Right-to-work: F
•Public-private partnerships: F
•Construction job growth: C
•Career and technical education: C
“This comes as a surprise to no one in the industry, but New York ranks as one of the worst states in the nation for construction. The laws, regulations and permitting process are a nightmare for everyone. We need to take corrective actions immediately. It’s time our state lawmakers and executive branch advance policies that create the conditions for quality contractors to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and better our communities,” said ABC Empire State Chapter President Brian Sampson. “Our 2023 Legislative Agenda lays out specific actions leaders in Albany must take to lower the cost of construction, better support our local contractors, create good-paying jobs for our workforce and spur overall economic development across the state.”
ABC Empire State Chapter’s 2023 Legislative Agenda puts forward solutions that include:
•End the call for union-only labor
•Eliminate Project Labor Agreements
•Repeal the Scaffold Law
•Neutralize the Public Subsidy Board
•Eliminate annualization
•Reform worker’s compensation
The Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, part of a national construction industry trade association established in 1950, was founded on the merit shop philosophy. ABC Empire State Chapter helps its more than 400 members develop skilled tradesmen and women, submit winning bids for work and deliver that work in a safe, ethical and timely manner for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. For more information, visit http://abcnys.org.
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