Northwest labor press., June 15, 2012, Page 2, Image 2

Anti-union ABC is a shell when it comes to construction
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — A
top anti-union lobby, Associated
Builders and Contractors (ABC),
which proclaims itself as the national
voice of nonunion construction compa-
nies, actually represents a small share
of U.S. contractors, a new study shows.
The study by National Labor Col-
lege political scientist Thomas Kriger
also reveals some ABC members
aren’t even contractors. They include a
florist in Jacksonville, restaurants in
Texas and Oklahoma, 44 Chevy deal-
erships and 59 banks.
“ABC is an ‘Astro-Turf’ Washing-
ton Beltway political advocacy group
with a well-funded PR and lobbying
machine,” Kriger said during a presen-
tation at the recent AFL-CIO Building
and Construction Trades legislative
conference in Washington, D.C.
ABC is notorious for its anti-union
stands. It vigorously lobbies to kill the
Davis-Bacon Act, which mandates the
Labor Department set locally prevail-
ing wages for federally-funded con-
struction projects. And ABC strenu-
ously opposes project labor agree-
ments. PLAs set standards — like
grievance procedures and work rules
— for projects.
ABC garnered headlines recently
when presumptive Republican presi-
dential nominee Mitt Romney got its
endorsement after a speech blasting
PLAs and unions.
Kriger concluded ABC, which
boasts 23,000 members, is a “shell or-
ganization” that does little of its own
research, instead sending right-wing
talking points to its members.
Among his other findings:
• ABC’s membership equals 0.03
percent of all construction contractors.
Its maximum density in any state is 6
percent. In 46 percent of the states, it
has fewer than 1 percent of contractors.
The report shows the Oregon ABC
chapter with 94 members, of which
only 60 percent are contractors, or 0.1
percent of contractors in the state.
...3 unions sponsor homeless camp
(From Page 1)
Mubarak says the needed excavation
would be prohibitively expensive be-
cause the lot is considered to be of
archeological interest, with artifacts
from its Chinatown past buried beneath
it. Also, he says, there would have to be
a driveway, and tents would have to be
10 feet apart, drastically reducing the
camp’s capacity.
BDS also says the doors which
make up the camp walls violate city
code because they are over 6 feet high
and the property owner has not applied
for a building permit or Historic Design
Review approval.
Fines of $641 a month began Jan. 1,
and doubled after three months. Caron
said the property owners owe
$1,335.51, and have paid $3,907 so far.
But Mubarak said it’s Right 2
Dream Too that’s paying the fines, un-
der its agreement with the owners, and
the money is coming out of the camp’s
food fund. Hence a sign that went up
recently on the corner: In bold red let-
ters, it says “Commissioner Dan Saltz-
man is effectively taking the food out
of the mouths of the homeless.” [BDS
is one of the bureaus assigned to Com-
missioner Saltzman.]
“Everyone has a right to express
their opinion,” was Saltzman’s reply,
relayed by his adviser Matt Grumm.
Brendan Finn, Saltzman’s chief of staff,
said the commissioner’s office is sup-
portive of Right 2 Dream Too, but the
city’s complaint is against the
landowner, who has had other disputes
with the City dating back to operation
of an adult bookstore at the same site,
now demolished. Finn said the City
can’t treat the landowner differently
than anyone else, where enforcement is
concerned.
Right 2 Dream Too supporters have
been calling on Saltzman and Portland
City Council to drop the fines and let
the camp remain. They point to other
cases where the City relaxes the rules:
Portland has a camping ban, but waives
it once a year for people who camp out
the night before the Rose Festival’s
Grand Floral Parade.
“When our union was fighting
budget cuts at the City of Portland,
Right 2 Dream Too showed up to every
action to help save our members’ jobs,”
said Wesley Buchholz, Executive
Board member of Laborers Local 483.
“When I learned that the City fines
them every month for violating the
camping rules, I knew it was our turn
to support them.”
The percentages in Washington are
similar, with only 61 percent of its 649
chapter members contractors, or 0.8
percent of all contractors in the state.
• The non-partisan Construction
Users Roundtable reported joint labor-
management apprenticeship training
committees, with union participation,
turned out 351,000 apprentices from
2002-09, in an industry that is hitting
an age crunch. ABC’s programs
turned out 19,000 apprentices over the
same period. The Roundtable recom-
mends contractors hire union-manage-
ment-trained apprentices.
• ABC’s membership includes 673
insurance brokers, the 44 car dealers
and the 59 banks. It also includes a
party rental firm, the Florida florist,
and the restaurants.
“ABC’s low-road strategy for labor
relations and employment has had a
detrimental impact on the construction
industry and on our society as a
whole,” as lawmakers have catered to
its lobbyists, the study says. “In the in-
dustry today, there are too many low-
skill, low-wage jobs, where working
men and women receive minimal train-
ing. ABC’s aggressive advocacy of the
low road contributed to growing in-
equality.”
A copy of the full report is available
at www.knowyourabc.com.
Labor-management alliance launches
‘Should Be Made in America’ drive
The Alliance for American Manufacturing has launched a campaign to
call out infrastructure projects which use foreign-made materials — paid
for with tax dollars. American manufacturing has been in decline, and na-
tionwide one out of every 12 workers is looking for work, while the United
States spends money on foreign-made products.
“Should be Made in America” is starting with the Bay Bridge, stretch-
ing from Oakland to San Francisco. Two massive billboards raise aware-
ness about the Chinese steel used in the bridge’s construction. The State of
California, under Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, turned down
federal money to help pay for the bridge, to avoid federal “Buy Ameri-
can” laws and hire a Chinese firm.
Learn more and sign up for updates about the campaign at
www.ShouldBeMadeInAmerica.com.
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NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
JUNE 15, 2012