WASHINGTON - The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has announced its support of a June 2004 report by the Construction Users Roundtable Tripartite Initiative (CTI) setting forth recommendations for action on critical issues facing the construction industry.

AGC is a member of CTI and played a role in establishing the recommendations, along with project owners in the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), other national contractor associations, and unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Department. The CURT Tripartite Initiative was established about two years ago to seek ways of improving the North American construction industry through labor-management collaboration.

"The Tripartite Initiative's report reflects a laudable team-effort of owners, unions, and contractors to reach a historic consensus for improving construction cost-effectiveness," said Stephen E. Sandherr, AGC's CEO. "It is now time for all members of the team to implement the recommendations at the local and jobsite levels, and to make the objectives a reality."

The report includes recommendations on eliminating unnecessary extended overtime, reducing absenteeism, and avoiding work disruptions. It sets forth separate steps to be taken by owners, contractors, and unions with regard to each of these issues.

"This is a challenging time for the industry as pressure mounts on all parties to build faster and cheaper than ever. A commitment to the principles found in this report can go a long way toward increasing value for owners without sacrificing quality," said Sandherr.

An executive summary of the CTI report can be found on AGC's Web site at www.agc.org.

Publication date: 07/05/2004