WASHINGTON — The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has announced its support of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that upholds presidential executive order 13202, ensuring that there are no mandatory project labor agreements (PLAs) on federally funded or federally assisted construction projects. ABC says that it opposes PLAs.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it denied certiorari in the case Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, et al. v. Joe M Allbaugh, Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency et al., upholding a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decision which upheld President Bush’s executive order.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is a major victory for U.S. taxpayers and for the construction industry,” said Eddie Rispone, ABC national chairman, and chairman of Industry Specialty Contractors in Baton Rouge, La. “President Bush’s common-sense executive order helps to ensure open competition in the U.S. construction industry. Not only do the union-only project labor agreements addressed by the president’s executive order discriminate against the four out of five U.S. construction workers who choose not to join a labor union, they also create a costly burden on taxpayers.”