The Blog

  Braintree has announced it will rebid the South Middle School Project without a project labor agreement after a Norfolk Superior Court Judge granted a preliminary injunction sought by ABC to stop the bidding process that had begun using a PLA.  Judge Paul D. Wilson granted the injunction after finding that the town did not meet specific requirements under which a PLA can be used.   PLAs require all jobsite labor on a project to come from unions, even though more than 83% of Massachusetts construction workers choose not to join a union.   Now all qualified bidders will have the opportunity to participate in the project and the town will get a larger pool of qualified bidders, and better prices.    Following the ruling, the town posted the following message on Braintreema.gov: Earlier this week the Town of Braintree was required to re-open the South Middle School Project for bids without the inclusion of a Project Labor Agreement (“PLA&rdqu ...

  Braintree has announced it will rebid the South Middle School Project without a PLA after a Norfolk Superior Court ruling that it violates the state’s competitive bidding laws.  Now all qualified open shops and union contractors will have a fair chance to participate.   The town will get a larger pool of qualified bidders, and better prices.  via Braintreema.gov Earlier this week the Town of Braintree was required to re-open the South Middle School Project for bids without the inclusion of a Project Labor Agreement (“PLA”). In 2020, the Town, with the unanimous support of the School Building Committee, decided to use a PLA on the South Middle School Project. A PLA is a pre-hire agreement that establishes the terms and conditions of employment on a construction project. On this project it would have, among other things, utilized local union hiring halls to hire workers, prevented delays in construction due to work stoppages provided a more diverse work ...

  A state Superior Court judge has granted a preliminary injunction to plaintiffs that include ABC Massachusetts and member contractor Fernandes Masonry to prohibit the Town of Braintree from including a project labor agreement (PLA) on its project to build a new South Middle School. PLAs require all jobsite labor on a project to come from unions, even though more than 83% of Massachusetts construction workers choose not to join a union. Parties seeking an injunction must show: (1) A likelihood of success on the merits (2) That they would suffer irreparable harm absent the injunction, and (3) That risk is greater than risks the opposing party would face if the injunction were not granted Judge Paul D. Wilson found that the plaintiffs “likelihood of success [on the merits] is strong. In terms of irreparable harm, Judge Wilson importantly agreed that the PLA would “effectively preclude plaintiff contractors from winning contracts on the South Middle School project, and ...

National nonresidential construction spending expanded 0.1% in July, according to a recent ABC analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $786.7 billion for the month.  However, spending was down on a monthly basis in six of 16 nonresidential subcategories.  Spending in three categories was virtually unchanged. Private nonresidential spending was down 0.2% for the month, while public nonresidential construction spending rose 0.6% in July. Total nonresidential construction spending is down 4.2% from July 2020. “The nonresidential construction spending numbers are meaningfully worse than they initially appear,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While the headline number suggests that nonresidential spending was effectively flat in July, the figure does not adjust for inflation. In real terms, the volume of construction services delivered by the nation’s nonresidential contractors de ...

  ABC Massachusetts President and CEO Greg Beeman was quoted in an August 29 Boston Globe article about potential fire hazards associated with the increased use of wood-framed residential structures. Beeman noted that "You can never say that everything is going to be without safety issues or concerns, but it would certainly be fair to say that built into the... oversight we have here, there's a strong safety component that is also interwoven. It will be hard to have a Wild West kind of scenario unfold here with the framework we have in place." Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Homebuilders, noted that potential hazards need to be balanced against affordability concerns. "We could probably all construct a house that would withstand virtually any fire... wind... and flood event that God or man could create. The problem is no one could afford to live in it," he said. "You also have to take into account affordability, and when you balance those things... a ...

  From ABC National: THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021 9:23 AM   WASHINGTON, Aug. 12—Construction input prices rose 0.6% in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.8% for the month. Construction input prices are 23.1% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices increased 23.4% over that span. Energy prices continue to experience substantial year-over-year price increases. The price of natural gas is up 146.7%, while crude petroleum and unprocessed energy materials prices are up 102.9% and 93.8%, respectively. Prices for steel mill products increased 10.8% for the month and are up 108.6% for the year. “One’s definition of transitory needs to evolve with these data,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While it is quite likely that there will be less inflation a year f ...

  Anyone who’s spent time with John Cruz has likely heard him say that companies can’t grow without attracting and retaining good people.  John once again proved that he means it when the Cruz Companies recently donated $250,000 to establish the Walter Williams Endowed Scholarship Fund at Boston’s Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT). Beginning this fall, the scholarship will provide financial support for up to two students every academic year who live in zip codes assigned to Dorchester, Roxbury or Mattapan in Boston; have demonstrated financial need; and are studying construction management, HVAC-R, Practical Electricity, or a related program area at BFIT.  Students should have already been enrolled for at least one semester to demonstrate their dedication to the program. Walter Williams was a longtime Roxbury resident.  During a career in city government and as a community organizer he played a key role in establishing the Bosto ...

  Membership is on the rise at ABC MA!  Membership Director Venus Williams reports that the Chapter has achieved 90 percent retention again this year.  This marks the 8th consecutive year ABC MA has achieved this key association benchmark.  Willliams also said plans are underway for a Membership Drive this fall with the goal of reaching 500 members.   “We ended last year at 463 members, and our goal is to hit 500 by the end of this year,“ said Williams.  “This would be a great milestone for our chapter,” she said.   Of ABC’s national network of 69 chapters, just seven have 500 or more members.     Williams said plans are underway for “a fun and competitive” membership drive this fall, with an Indy 500 theme.   “The Membership Drive is extra  special this year because the 500-member goal is within reach,” she said.  “W ...

TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021 9:50 AM Posted in Construction Backlog Indicator, Construction Economic Update, Construction Confidence Index, News Release 2021 WASHINGTON, June 15— Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.0 months in May, according to an ABC member survey conducted from May 20 to June 2, 0.1 months higher than in April 2021 and May 2020. While ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales increased modestly in May, confidence regarding profit margins and staffing levels slipped. All three indices remain above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations of growth over the next six months. “Nonresidential construction backlog continues to edge higher, consistent with expectations that sales, profit margins and staffing will expand over the next six months,” said ABC chief economist Anirban Basu. “For at least four reasons, this represents an extraordinary set o ...

WASHINGTON, June 10—Today, Annie Mecias-Murphy, co-owner and president of Associated Builders and Contractors member JA&M Developing Corp., headquartered in Pembroke Pines, Florida, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure on the negative impacts that the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan would have on small business contractors. Mecias-Murphy testified on behalf of ABC and serves on the board of directors for the association’s Florida East Coast Chapter. In her testimony, she urged Congress to invest in America’s infrastructure, ensure that small construction businesses are not excluded from the competitive bidding process for federal infrastructure projects and expand workforce development opportunities in the construction industry. “It is because of the construction industry that I am able to be here to share my story with you today. I was born to immigrant parents who chose to ...