The Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

Keeping You Informed on Legislative Matters that Affect Your Business

Apprentice Spotlight | Bryce Mayer

Bryce Mayer, J.D. Eckman, Inc.Carpentry 3A What made you choose the trade you are learning?I chose the carpenter trade because my company offered two programs through ABC: carpenter and operator.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Unfortunately, at the time of publication, there is the perfect storm of increased discussion for Responsible Contractor Ordinances (RCOs), little engagement with the construction community, and a rush to adopt them. While this has been happening in all aspects of local government, it is now happening at the state level with House Bill 1449 seeking to apply a less restrictive RCO on state-level projects, coincidentally sponsored by Representative Josh Siegel (D-Lehigh), who most recently was an Allentown City Council member and saw firsthand the problematic nature of RCOs through Allentown’s turbulent ordinance.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Unfortunately, at the time of publication, there is the perfect storm of increased discussion for Responsible Contractor Ordinances (RCOs), little engagement with the construction community, and a rush to adopt them. While this has been happening in all aspects of local government, it is now happening at the state level with House Bill 1449 seeking to apply a less restrictive RCO on state-level projects, coincidentally sponsored by Representative Josh Siegel (D-Lehigh), who most recently was an Allentown City Council member and saw firsthand the problematic nature of RCOs through Allentown’s turbulent ordinance.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

While it looks like the plane is being built while it’s climbing up in the air, legislators in the state capitol are beginning to move their agenda after a slow start. At the time of writing this article, we have seen bills supported by unions move from the House to the Senate – one to enshrine the right to organize in the Pennsylvania Constitution (and bar state legislators from passing future bills related to employer/employee relations) and another that attempts to address misclassification of employees.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

There is an important election in Pennsylvania coming in May. On May 16, Pennsylvania will have its Primary Elections for municipal offices throughout the Commonwealth, leading to an important General Election in the fall. While this may not get as much hot attention as electing a president or a potential special election for a state House of Representatives seat that could tip the widely known narrow majority in that chamber, it’s crucial.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

On March 7, Governor Shapiro delivered his first budget address before the General Assembly. What was most notable about it was it being widely seen as having something for everyone without major tax increase proposals. As such, it even included minor tax cuts for consumer cell phones, maintaining scheduled business tax reductions, and did not propose new Marcellus taxes as his predecessor did. As trade-offs for those, there is a loud call for increasing the minimum wage and multiple affirmations that Pennsylvania will never be a Right to Work state.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

As the state legislature is kicking off a delayed start to legislative business, we should recognize some things that reflect the General Assembly’s growth in 2023. This session will see the first female Senate Pro Tempore (Sen. Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland) and first female Majority Leader in the House (Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia) along with 77 other women in the legislature – the most ever. We also have nearly 50 new legislators, the largest freshmen class in 60 years. It’s easy to see that many historical changes are happening in the Capitol while, at the same time, those newly elected and those experienced but new to leadership roles are still on a learning curve. More importantly, all of them are still deciding how they want to lead and represent their home districts with their position of influence.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

Political Groundhog’s Day has Seen its Shadow

ABC Keystone is excited to welcome Jim Willshier to the position of Director of Advocacy. He is responsible for the development, implementation, and management of the comprehensive government affairs program for ABC. This includes all legislative advocacy, PAC, grassroots, and government affairs activities.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

ABC Keystone is excited to welcome Jim Willshier to the position of Director of Advocacy. He is responsible for the development, implementation, and management of the comprehensive government affairs program for ABC. This includes all legislative advocacy, PAC, grassroots, and government affairs activities.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Construction backlog in November reached its highest level since the second quarter of 2019, as contractors with under $30 million in revenue landed new jobs faster than expected, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

A Longtime Labor Crunch
The construction industry was already facing a workforce crunch before 2020 due to an aging workforce, more young people being steered toward college and workers who left the industry during the 2008 recession and never returned, says Zachary Fritz, an economist with Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Many of you heard the news that I departed ABC Pennsylvania in November. The decision was not an easy one. I have a long history with ABC. My career began in Washington, D.C., where I served on legislative staff for the late Congressmen George W. Gekas (R-PA-17) and former Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA-18). During my time in our nation’s capital, which lasted nearly a decade, I monitored and staffed issues important to ABC. It was there that I learned about the association’s mission and drive for free enterprise. When I moved back to Pennsylvania, I served as advocacy director for a local chamber, where I continued the partnership with ABC – and eventually met and married my wife, Julina (Peterson), who was the Communication Director for ABC Keystone. Julina started her career with ABC as an intern in 2004 and served on the Keystone team until 2017. I have fond memories of attending so many inaugurals with Julina as her date and later as her husband!

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

As you know, ABC Pennsylvania is comprised of four regional chapters with nearly 1,400 member companies who collectively employ over 65,000 Pennsylvanians. Our advocacy efforts do not come without the commitment and participation of our members – and we have a lot to be proud of in 2022.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Did you vote or are you prepared to vote? The campaigns are entering the final stretch and the finish line is two short weeks away. Mail-in voting is currently underway, and as expected, is already knee-deep in political and legal battles. A few weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling saying that undated mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania should not be counted by county board of elections. Despite the federal ruling, the Pennsylvania Secretary of State issued a statement advising counties to continue to follow the agency’s guidance, which instructs counties to count undated ballots. Of course, the statement has initiated lawsuit filings and several counties have announced that they will separate dated and undated ballots barring a court decision.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

If you follow politics, you might have heard the phrase, “October surprise.” This is political terminology to refer to a major news event – perhaps scandalous to some degree – that is aimed to influence the outcome of an election. With the popularity of early voting and mail-in voting, it will be interesting to see how much these stories will matter. It will also be interesting to see if strategists will re-evaluate the timing of how and when to “release” this kind of information. Who knows, maybe October surprises will turn into August surprises.

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