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Press Kit

Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. Talking Points

The ABC Story
ABC is a national trade association representing more than 23,000 merit shop contractors, specialty contractors, suppliers and services providers in 80 chapters across the United States. Keystone Chapter, Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc., operating out of Rapho Business Park, Manheim, represents over 700 construction-related firms locally and is part of a national federation with 1,700 members in Pennsylvania. Members are involved in commercial, industrial, and institutional free enterprise construction.

Through its National office and chapters, ABC’s objective is to provide its members with an organization to deal with issues on an industry-wide basis. ABC’s activities encompass government relations, legal advocacy, education, safety, workforce development, communications, technology, recognition through national and chapter awards programs, employee benefits, information on best practices and business development through an online contractor search directory.

Listed among Fortune magazine’s top 50 "most influential" national organizations, ABC is devoted exclusively to the advancement of the free enterprise construction philosophy which encourages open competition that awards contractors based solely on merit regardless of labor affiliation.

Construction – The Big Picture
Q: What percentage of U.S. construction workers belong to or are represented by a union?
A: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2002, 17.2 percent of U.S. construction workers (employed wage and salary workers) belonged to a labor union, and 17.8 percent of U.S. construction workers were represented by a labor union.
(BLS data do not tabulate labor affiliation for unincorporated self-employed or incorporated self-employed construction workers. BLS construction industry labor statistics are based on a tabulation of approximately 6.8 million wage and salary workers in the construction industry – does not include statistics on labor affiliation of lack thereof for unincorporated self-employed construction workers or incorporated self-employed construction workers – total population of approximately 2.85 million.)

Q: What is the total dollar volume of construction in the United States?
A: According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau in 2002, the total value, in current dollars, of construction put in place was approximately $846 billion.

Q: What effect does construction have on economic activity?
A: Economic investment in construction has an impact on other industries. FMI Corporation, a national management consulting firm for the construction industry, estimates that construction put in place in 2003 will amount to $857 billion. FMI estimates that in 2003 the impact of this $857 billion on economic activity on other sectors of the economy is as follows:
• Natural resources and mining - $57 billion
• Manufacturing - $454 billion
• Trade - $119 billion
• Transportation and utilities - $44 billion
• Information - $32 billion
• Financial activities - $90 billion
• Professional and business services - $147 billion
• Education and health services - $1 billion
• Leisure and hospitality - $9 billion
• Other services - $22 billion
• Other - $13 billion

• TOTAL = $1.847 trillion

This means that for every dollar spent in construction, nearly $2.20 in economic activity is generated.

Q: What percentage of construction is done by open shop contractors?
A: According to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business (2000), the open shop share of the U.S. construction market has likely stabilized at 75 to 80 percent. (2000, Government Union Review, Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements in Construction, The Institutional Facts and Issues and Key Litigation, by Herb Northrup and Linda Alario.)

For more information about ABC contact Sharon Militello, Director of Communications.