WASHINGTON, March 23—Associated Builders and Contractors today praised the Wyoming legislature and Gov. Mark Gordon for enacting SF 147, the Fair and Open Competition Act, which protects Wyoming taxpayers by ensuring all of the state’s skilled construction workforce can compete on a level playing field for contracts to build state, state-assisted and local public works projects. Once in effect on July 1, Wyoming will be the 25th state with an active policy restricting the use of government-mandated project labor agreements.

Introduced by state Sen. Jim Anderson, R-District 68, this measure prevents the state and its localities from mandating PLAs on any taxpayer-funded construction project, thereby ensuring all Wyoming construction workers, including the approximately 97% of the state’s construction workforce that has chosen not to belong to a union, can build their communities.

Ben Brubeck, ABC vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs said, “State leaders have sent the message that … all of Wyoming’s construction workforce is welcome to compete to rebuild their communities.”

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Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 22,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 68 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at abc.org