NEWS RELEASES

Prevent Job Discrimination & Reduce Costs to Taxpayers
“Put Freedom to Work in Syracuse”

Coalition Calls on City and School Officials to Reject Union-Only Construction on Renovation Project

SYRACUSE, N.Y., August 15, 2006 – In an effort to prevent job discrimination and help reduce costs to taxpayers, a coalition has formed to promote open contracting and free enterprise in the local construction industry and an aggressive campaign titled “Put Freedom to Work in Syracuse” has been planned.

Coalition Spokesperson Rebecca Meinking, president of the Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), called on the Joint School Construction Board (JSCB), made up of Syracuse City and School District officials, to reject union-only construction on the first phase of the city’s nearly $925 million school renovation project.

“It is our position that all local workers – whether union or non-union – should have an equal opportunity to work on this critically important project,” Meinking said.  “We urge the members of the JSCB to take the necessary action to ensure contracts are awarded in a fair, unbiased manner.  We believe an open and competitively bid project will provide the best use of public tax money.”

Extensive research on public construction projects restricted by union-only provisions, referred to as a project labor agreement (PLA), show they significantly drive up construction costs.  An April 2006 report by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University in Boston found that the use of union-only school construction projects in New York increased construction costs by 20 percent.

“Based on these findings, nearly $45 million from the first phase of this project alone might be wasted,” Meinking said. “Think of how many teachers we could hire, how many classroom supplies we could purchase, and how many programs we could fund with that amount of money.”

Meinking stated that a union-only PLA would also discriminate against more than 75 percent of the local workforce that chooses not to belong to a construction union.  “Under a union-only agreement, three out of every four Syracuse area construction workers loses an opportunity to earn a living and support their families,” Meinking said.  She estimated that more than 100 local construction companies might be shut out from bidding on the project.

The coalition said that it’s important to stress that they’re not anti-union.  “What we are is pro-competition,” Meinking said.  “All we are asking for is a chance to demonstrate our ability to work in the community where we live and to provide a competitive day’s work for a competitive wage.

“The opportunity to compete for jobs should be open to all.  But “Big Labor” makes big promises – like political support or strike protection – to convince government officials to use union-only PLAs.  These quid pro quo deals shut out the majority of construction workers.”

Several municipalities throughout the U.S. have recently rejected union-only PLAs in favor of open competition.

About the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.
Associated Builders and Contractors is a national association representing 23,000 construction general contractors, specialty contractors, suppliers and construction-related firms across the U.S.  ABC promotes open competition and free enterprise in the U.S. construction industry where more than 7 million people are employed and another 2 million are self-employed.  Construction makes a major contribution to the nation’s economy with more than $1 trillion in construction projects put in place each year.

The Empire State Chapter of ABC, headquartered at 6369 Collamer Drive in East Syracuse, serves nearly 700 members throughout New York from its central office, and from branch offices in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Long Island/Metro NYC. For more information visit www.abc.org.

Empire State Chapter Members Show Support for Open Competition

Chapter President makes presentation to Joint School Construction Board

Prior to the Thursday, August 24 meeting of the Syracuse Joint School Construction Board, nearly 40 members of ABC’s Empire State Chapter gathered on the steps of city hall to voice their opinions on union-only PLAs and show support for chapter president, Rebecca Meinking, who made a presentation to the Board on the negative effects of union-only PLAs.

The ABC members voiced their opinions through signs, which included messages such as, “Don’t Exclude Workers, Exclude PLAs,” and “Say Yes to Open Competition, No to PLAs.”

Rebecca Meinking’s presentation strongly drove home the reasons for rejecting a union-only PLA for the renovation of the Syracuse City Schools.  One of the key points of the presentation was union-only PLAs prevent the majority of construction workers from taking part in government-funded construction projects simply because they are not affiliated with a union.

The presentation also included strong evidence that union-only PLAs drive up costs by driving down competition.  Meinking used several resources, including a study conducted by the Beacon Hill Institute on the effects of union-only PLAs on school construction projects in New York State and an analysis of the impact that a PLA is having on the Onondaga Lake Cleanup Project currently ongoing in the Syracuse area, to back up her key points.

Click here to view the presentation.