Welcome to ABC Delaware
New Castle, DE, May 1, 2009—According to a study conducted by the University of Delaware, Merit Shop contractors in the state consistently pay competitive wages for construction projects. The survey, commissioned by the Delaware Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), showed that more than three-quarters of the contractors and subcontractors also pay bonuses based on merit. The study was conducted by the University of Delaware’s Center for Applied Demography & Survey Research (CADSR) over a two-month period starting in October of 2008.
"We believe this survey dispels the myth that Merit Shop contractors have small companies, can’t do the big jobs or pay sub-standard wages and benefits," said ABC Delaware President Edward J. Capodanno. "This survey shows that ABC members pay supervisory employees an average of $32 per hour while skilled employees earned an average of $23 per hour and unskilled employees earned $15 per hour."
Capodanno said the University of Delaware survey also showed an overwhelming majority of merit shop construction employees worked 2,000 hours per year, which he said was "just as important in determining competitive annual wages in construction."
"And when it comes to benefits, ABC members showed much flexibility in their benefit packages by offering a wide range of benefits to their employees," noted Capodanno.
For 2008, the ABC Delaware president said members reported total construction volume of $1.5 billion dollars.
Copies of the survey are available by calling (302) 328-1111.
New Castle, DE, April 3, 2009—The Delaware Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has joined a coalition of business interests in the state to raise public awareness regarding the likely negative financial effects from the passage of the "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA). This legislation as currently written would, among other things, eliminate an employee’s right to a federally supervised private ballot when deciding whether or not to join a union for the purposes of collective bargaining.
The formation of the coalition was announced by Edward J. Capodanno, president of ABC Delaware. Other organizations participating in the public awareness effort include the Delaware Health Care Association, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware Chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Delaware Restaurant Association, the Delaware Food Industry Council, the Delaware Hotel Association, the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce and the Homebuilders Association of Delaware.
"Passage of this bill will have wide-ranging and severe implications for the residents of Delaware and the business community," said ABC President Capodanno. "Folks in Delaware should not be misled by the title of the legislation—free choice will be anything but free should Congress enact this legislation."
Capodanno said that instead of the secret ballot, workers would be subjected to a biased and inferior process called a ‘card check.’ He said this would allow a union to organize if a majority of the workers sign a card, which would be done in public under the scrutiny of union organizers and co-workers who have the potential to coerce and intimidate employees.
"Under the current secret-ballot arrangement, unions win over half of government-supervised elections today," noted Capodanno. "With the new card-check scenario, unions will be able to dramatically increase their ability to organize employees. This has major financial implications for the business owner and their customers. And, any company with two or more employees can be legally targeted for organization."
According to ABC Delaware’s president, bank tellers, auto repair workers, service providers such as child day care workers or health care aides at nursing homes, servers at independent fast food restaurants, and even the smallest entrepreneurial start-ups are now vulnerable to having their employees organized. Capodanno noted that once employees are represented by a bargaining group, owners of the company experience the added expense of time consumed by negotiations, arbitrations, and penalties that add to the cost of doing business. As a result, they are forced to pass on the increased labor costs in the goods they produce or the services they supply.
"It is the consumer of the goods or services that ultimately bears the added financial burden caused by this legislation," stressed Capodanno.
"Another option for the business owner is to trim the size of its workforce," said Capodanno. "As a result, companies quickly close departments, offices, and plants. This sets off a ripple effect, impacting suppliers, consumers, tax payers, school systems—and a host of other systems that serve as the financial and social foundation for the state of Delaware."
"We have made our feelings known to Delaware’s congressional delegation regarding EFCA, and now we are taking our message directly to Delaware residents and the businesses they patronize," said Capodanno.
He added that similar legislation was initially adopted in all ten provinces of Canada, but was later repealed by six Canadian provincial governments after being linked to a decrease in job creation and business development and an increase in unemployment rates.
The Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. represents the interest of merit shop contractors and their employees in the policy making process of the government, protects and enhances the free enterprise system within the construction industry, and provides educational marketing and informational programs for the benefit of the members and their employees.
The ABC Delaware office is located in the Airport Industrial Park
near the intersection of Route 13 & 273 in New Castle.
ABC Delaware
31 Blevins Drive, Suite B
Airport Industrial Park
New Castle, DE 19720
(302) 328-1111
(302) 323-1122 fax