What is ABC?

Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. is a national association representing over 24,000 contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and related firms in 78 chapters throughout the United States and from all specialties in the construction industry.  The Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter has almost 500 members and represents Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.  ABC Members are committed to providing value, quality, safety, employee training and experience to their customers programs.

ABC’s Merit Philosophy

ABC is the voice of Merit Contractors in the construction industry.  We believe that Merit Contractors represent a group dedicated to the betterment of individual members, the construction industry and the nation.  We also believe in the system of Free Enterprise and that construction projects should be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder without regard to labor affiliation.

Glossary of terms:

Merit Philosophy – a construction project should be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, without regard to labor affiliation

Building trades – an umbrella group of construction unions

Open Shop - a construction management, general contractor or subcontractor employer that has chosen, with its employees, to do business apart from a union, a collective bargaining agreement

Merit Shop - an Open Shop construction management, general contracting or subcontractor that believes in the merit philosophy which champions equal opportunity in the construction business for both union and non-union firms based on the merits of service.

Open Source - the practice of any construction management, general contractor or subcontractor of bidding work to both open and union shops offering potential work opportunities to 100% of the available labor pool.

PLA – Project Labor Agreement – a discriminatory formal or informal agreement between the building trades unions and a project owner which mandates either the exclusive use of union employees on a construction project.