Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) launched “Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecard,” which reviews and grades state-specific information. The scorecard website identifies states that have created beneficial or subpar environments for merit shop contractors.
The Merit Shop Scorecard grades states on project labor agreement (PLA), prevailing wage and right-to-work policies as well as their construction job growth rate, commitment to developing a well-trained workforce, level of flexibility in career and technical education curricula and use of public-private partnerships (P3s).
“The Merit Shop Scorecard will be a useful tool for lawmakers and industry stakeholders to explain how state policies affect the ability of contractors to conduct business and expand their operations,” said ABC Director of Labor and Federal Procurement Ben Brubeck. “The scorecard highlights high-performing states that have enacted policies opposing anti-competitive schemes and restrictive, cost-inflating mandates while embracing fairness in the workplace. It also identifies low-performing states that have failed to foster environments where businesses can thrive, invest and create construction jobs in local communities.”
The merit shop philosophy is the belief that people and companies succeed based on free enterprise principles within the free market system, which is characterized by open and fair competition and diverse participants.
Top ranked states such as Arizona, Louisiana and Virginia all received high-performing grades for enacting PLA, prevailing wage and right-to-work policies that favor free enterprise. Conversely, low performing states such as New Mexico, Alaska and New York received poor overall rankings by earning a D or F grade for their policies on PLAs, prevailing wage and right-to-work legislation and other measurable categories.
The Merit Shop Scorecard was developed with input from ABC chapters and industry stakeholders across the country. States were evaluated based on their policies and records on seven key issues: Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), Prevailing Wage, Right to Work, Public-Private Partnerships (P3s), Workforce Development ;Career and Technical Education, and Job Growth Rate.
Criteria and definitions are available here. The scorecard will be updated monthly with exclusive state construction unemployment rate estimates from economist Bernard Markstein, Ph.D.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 27, 2021
2021 Healthcare Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. healthcare facilities sector
HDR, AECOM, Turner Construction, and Brasfield & Gorrie head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest healthcare facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 27, 2021
2021 Office Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. office building sector
Gensler, Jacobs, Turner Construction, and STO Building Group head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest office building sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.a
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 University Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the higher education sector
Gensler, AECOM, Turner Construction, and CannonDesign head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest university sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 Data Center Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. data center facilities sector
Corgan, Holder Construction, Jacobs, and Whiting-Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest data center facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
Top 90 Construction Management + Project Management Firms for 2021
CBRE, Jacobs, Alfa Tech, and VCC head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 26, 2021
Building hotels with modules, with citizenM's Menno Hilberts
In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Menno Hilberts, Managing Director of Project Management with hotelier citizenM, explains how the company is employing modular construction to help double its presence in the U.S.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 140 Contractors for 2021
Turner Construction, Whiting-Turner Contracting, STO Building Group, and DPR Construction top the rankings of the nation's largest general contractors, CM at risk firms, and design-builders for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 25, 2021
The rise of entertainment districts and the inside-out stadium
Fiserv Forum, home to the 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks, proved that the design of the space outside a stadium is just as important as inside.
Architects | Aug 19, 2021
BD+C Events
Building Design+Construction's annual events include the Women in Design+Construction conference and the ProConnect meeting series.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 19, 2021
Multifamily emerges strong from the pandemic, with Yardi Matrix's Doug Ressler
Yardi Matrix's Doug Ressler discusses his firm's latest assessment of multifamily sales and rent growth for 2021.
