August 14, 2014 | Vol. 6, Issue 17

In This Issue

* ABC Commends Livingston County for Prevailing Wage Repeal

* ABC MI PAC has 96% Primary Rate Win

* New Resumes on MI Construction Job Center

* The Power of Peer-to-Peer Networking

Our Sponsors

Thanks for supporting our sponsors!

Facebook: ABC of Michigan

Twitter: @ABCMichigan

LinkedIn: Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan

Michigan Construction Job Center

MIOSHA

ABC commends Livingston County for repealing prevailing wage requirements

Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan (ABC) commended the Livingston County Board of Commissioners for an August 4 decision repealing a job-killing prevailing wage mandate on county-funded construction projects.

"Livingston County commissioners have chosen to stand up for public accountability and affordability in construction," noted Chris Fisher, ABC of Michigan President & CEO. "Livingston County taxpayers now have a more competitive construction market, and that in turn will create more jobs and opportunities in Livingston County."

Michigan prevailing wage calculations exclusively mirror union agreements regardless of whether the workers on the job belong to a union, ignoring the fact that only 18 percent of construction workers chose to belong to a union in Michigan. Prevailing wage mandates typically inflate the cost of construction labor by 40-60 percent more than the already-high market wage. ABC encouraged the Livingston County Board to repeal the local mandate, pointing to studies that indicate prevailing wage increases costs unreasonably, infringes upon the integrity of the competitive bidding process, and denies taxpayers the fiscal accountability they deserve.

"We look forward to continuing to see growth in Livingston County now that the costly prevailing wage mandate has been removed," commented Fisher.

Livingston County now joins a super-majority of Michigan counties who do not have a prevailing wage mandate.

ABC MI PAC has 96% success rate in primary endorsements

The ABC of Michigan Political Action Committee (PAC) worked hard prior to the August primary election to select candidates who are pro-growth and pro-Merit Shop. We're excited to tell you that your ABCMI PAC had a 96% win rate in the primary election.

Significant victories included:

Passage of Proposal 1, which will help to eliminate Michigan's costly and redundant Personal Property Taxes for business owners.
State Sen. John Moolenaar won the Republican nomination for Michigan's Fourth U.S. Congressional District. Sen. Moolenaar is a long-time advocate of pro-Merit Shop policies and sponsored the bill banning government-mandated Project Labor Agreements in Michigan.
ABC-endorsed Terri Lynn Land was unopposed in the Republican primary but put in a strong showing of votes anyway. She will face Democrat Gary Peters in November.
Governor Rick Snyder, who was also unopposed on his party's ticket and put in a strong showing on the primary balloting, will be challenged by Democrat Mark Schauer in the general election. Schauer is a very strongly anti-Merit Shop former legislator who has publicly called for the repeal of Right to Work and would oppose pro-growth policies like repealing Prevailing Wage.
More than 60 incumbent state legislators and senators who have supported open competition and worker freedom won their primaries.

ABC members still have work to do to support the candidates that have pledged to protect Right to Work, protect the ban on PLAs, support greater skilled trades educational opportunities, and repeal Prevailing Wage.

Watch Merit Minute and Michigan Merit Magazine for additional voter guides and opportunities to be involved.

New resumes on the Michigan Construction Job Center

Did you know we have more than 70 resumes in our Michigan Construction Job Board?

Featured Resumes:

Construction Project Manager / Carpente
Experienced Commercial/Residential Contractor
Facilities Maintenance Coordinator

See someone you'd like to speak with further? Resume purchases (includes contact info) are just $25 for the month of August (normally $35).

www.miconstructionjobcenter.com

The power of peer-to-peer networking

In the last five years, 87% of Millennial employees took on management roles. By 2025, 75% of employees will be from the Millennial generation. These numbers make it clear that retaining top talent is vital to the future of your business. But what does it take to keep Millennials around?

WHAT DO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS VALUE?
While salary will always be a significant factor in selecting and staying at a job, other factors also play a big role in engaging your young professionals including:

Career development
Networking
Mentorships
Work-life balance
Feedback
Recognition

These benefits are key to employee engagement with the 88% of Millennials who prefer a collaborative work culture rather than a competitive one.

WHAT CAN YOU OFFER YOUR YOUNG EMPLOYEES?
Generation Y (or generation "why") is genuinely interested in improving work processes by providing their own, unique contributions while building their career path. A company that encourages them to learn and grow-and provides the resources to do so-are more likely to build a group of employees that don't look for work elsewhere.

ABC is working to help your young professionals with their personal and professional development through the ABC National Young Professional Program's new Peer Groups. These groups let young leaders from ABC member companies join groups of about six others with similar job roles to discuss industry trends and challenges. Then they can bring back that information to your office.

Learn more about ABC's National Young Professional program, the Peer Groups and what keeps Millennials engaged at youngprofessionals.abc.org or contact Donna Puglisi.

ABC of Michigan | 517-853-2545 | info@abcmi.com | www.abcmi.com
230 N. Washington Square
Suite 202
Lansing, MI 48933