The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the passage in the U.S. House of Representatives today of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act:
“House Democrats today voted in favor of idling workers, stripping their privacy, and denying them the opportunity to establish their own businesses. The PRO Act, which passed largely along partisan lines tonight, includes a host of measures that are anti-worker, anti-privacy, and anti-recovery. The measure, for example, will deny workers the absolute right to a private union election ballot. It also forces employers to disclose private details about their workers to unions, including their home addresses, emails, and shift schedules.
“The measure authorizes a host of long-prohibited labor actions, including secondary boycotts, where unions can picket firms that are not involved in a dispute with that union. These boycotts will force many workers to suffer, without pay, for disputes where they do not stand to benefit. The PRO Act also discriminates against independent contractors. This means workers will no longer be able to successfully establish their own businesses and become their own bosses.
“The broader impact of the PRO Act, should it be enacted, is a new era of labor unrest that will stifle future economic activity and job growth. Instead of helping deliver higher wages and better benefits, the PRO Act will provide labor uncertainty, stagnant economic growth, and diminished entrepreneurial opportunity. That is why the Associated General Contractors of America, including our union and open shop members, will continue to oppose this measure and take every possible step to prevent its passage in the Senate.”
Related Stories
| Jan 10, 2013
Guide predicts strongest, weakest AEC markets for 2013
2013 Guide to U.S. AEC markets touts apartments, natural gas, senior housing and transmission and distribution.
| Jan 8, 2013
PC Construction names McCarthy President/CEO
McCarthy, who joined PC Construction in 1998 and currently serves as executive vice president, will become a member of the employee-owned company’s board of directors and a trustee of the employee stock ownership plan.
| Jan 3, 2013
Answered prayers
A bold renovation enables a small church to expand its mission on a grand scale.
| Jan 2, 2013
M&A activity at U.S. AEC firms up slightly
Total mergers and acquisitions in the AEC industry hit 171 in 2012, up slight from the 169 deals in 2011.
| Jan 2, 2013
Construction jobs made gains in 2012, even with a slow Q4, says Gilbane report
The construction sector in the nine states with 50% of construction employment was up 169,000 jobs from February to September 2012, following a lost of 137,000 jobs from September 2011 to January 2012.
| Dec 21, 2012
ABI gains for fourth straight month
Positive business conditions for all building sectors.
| Dec 13, 2012
LPCiminelli opens New York City office
Steve Giordano named executive in charge of new office.