Blog
2023 Construction Excellence Awards
ABC held our annual Construction Excellence Awards gala at the historic Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York. More than 200 people attended the all-day event dedicated to helping contractors connect with colleagues and acknowledge the projects built by the merit/open shop construction community. This year, the Chapter handed out more than 20 awards that covered…
An ABC Members Guide to the Roadway Excavation Quality Assurance Act
New Updates On December 1st, the Bureau of Public Work issued additional FAQs for the Roadway Excavation Quality Assurance Act. Please take time to read and understand the updated FAQ (scroll down to view). Please reach out to Tanner Schmidt at (585) 730-1814 or tschmidt@abcnys.org with any questions. Background On August 16, 2023, Governor Hochul signed…
Statement on Gov. Hochul Hunts Point Access Press Conference
Today, at a press conference in the Bronx, Governor Hochul announced funding for the final stage of the Hunts Point Interstate Access Improvement Project. We agree with the goal behind the project and applaud the health and quality of life benefits it will bring to the community. The mandated Project Labor Agreement will waste hundreds of…
New Bills Stadium Misses Minority Goals
Governor Hochul forced the Buffalo Bills into mandating a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the new Buffalo Bills Stadium project, claiming that a PLA would help this project hit every goal they set and promote minorities and women in construction. In some of the least surprising news we have received, not even the first set…
New York’s PLA Addiction & The Impact on Affordable Housing
Governor Hochul has announced multiple large-scale housing developments. One major announcement was the 1200 new housing units being built at 5 World Trade Center in New York City, where one-third will be affordable housing. ABC applauds the Governor for her commitment to relieving the housing crisis looming large in New York. With that said New…
Fix the PLA Problem Before Bailing Out NYCHA
The newly appointed New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) CEO has requested a $500M bailout. Common sense change must be made before even a penny of this enormous bailout is forced on taxpayers. NYCHA must stop using expensive Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on their construction projects as they unnecessarily drive up the construction cost and…
Bringing Back 421-A Is a Good Start to Fixing Housing Crisis
Leaders in Albany have correctly identified that New York has a housing crisis. It is even more frustrating that they have chosen to do nothing about that crisis. Without the correct changes, there is no way that the state will reach its goal of 800,000 new units, housing that is desperately needed. According to the…
Sampson Quoted in BisNow: No Pause In Construction Despite NYC Having World’s Worst Air Quality
Sampson Quoted: No Pause In Construction Despite NYC Having World’s Worst Air Quality June 8, 2023 Ciara Long, Bisnow New York City As thick billows of smoke from wildfires in Canada turned New York City’s air into a hazardous haze on Wednesday, construction work pressed ahead. Bisnow/Ellie Meyer The view of the New York City skyline from Hoboken…
Chapter President Brian Sampson Statement on the Passing of the NYS Budget
For Immediate Release: May 2nd, 2023 Contact: Tanner Schmidt, Public Affairs Manager, (585) 730-1814, tschmidt@abcnys.org www.abcnys.org The following statement on the New York State Budget is attributed to the Associated Builders & Contractors, Empire State Chapter President Brian Sampson: “Governor Hochul and elected leaders have been discussing for months their desire to make New York…
Tossing Cash Out the Window
via GIPHY Time and time again, elected officials in Albany are choosing to waste taxpayer funds by mandating unnecessary labor requirements that do nothing to benefit the project or the workers on those projects and increase the amount New York taxpayer pay for construction. Why do they do these harmful mandates? That answer is simple…