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Recognized as one of the most influential and fastest growing organizations in the country, ABC is a national association of dedicated individuals, companies and corporations who, for over half a century, have advanced and defended free enterprise, excellence and the Merit Shop philosophy throughout the construction industry. Since 1971, ABC has been the champion of free enterprise in Louisiana. ABC's Pelican Chapter is returning profit to the industry and the individual.
Halt the Assault Campaign
On behalf of ABC National and the Free Enterprise Alliance board, we are pleased to announce the launch of HaltTheAssault.com. The Halt the Assault campaign is funded by ABC's Free Enterprise Alliance and will focus on the issues affecting not just ABC member companies, but small businesses across the country. The target audience is employees of ABC member companies and the public. Recent Rasmussen and Free Enterprise Alliance polls show that small business owners are the most respected profession in America. Small business owners receive a 90% favorability rating, while in contrast, members of Congress, union bosses and CEO's of large corporations are all below 40%. Since roughly 85% of ABC member companies are considered small businesses, it only makes sense for us to seize upon this opportunity and make our voice heard on these very important issues.
The campaign will focus on three important themes: jobs, the economy and how intrusive government regulations stymie growth in those areas. The health care debate, and our opposition to the current law, will be a major topic throughout the campaign. Just a few of the tools HaltTheAssault.com will include are daily blog posts, links to relevant news stories, issue pages and an opportunity for individual companies to submit their pictures and stories about how these hurdles have affected their company. For those that choose to sign up, they will also receive a weekly newsletter that highlights the most important news from that week. In addition, a political component will be added later this spring in preparation for the November elections.
Tomorrow we will be sending out an email to the entire membership encouraging them to visit the site, take action and most importantly share it with their employees. This is the "soft" launch and a large external PR campaign will begin next week as we reach out various new outlets and an extensive new media ad campaign. However, this effort is too great and cannot be successful without your support. In an attempt to keep this email brief, here are just a few of the ways you can be helpful in promoting this launch of this new campaign:
- Promote this campaign to your members via email or in an upcoming newsletter
- Get them to share the site with their own employees and peers in the business community
- Become a fan of Halt the Assault on your chapter Facebook page
- Invite your friends to become fans of Halt the Assault on Facebook
- Add the Halt the Assault widget to your chapter's homepage and encourage member companies to do the same
- Have you or a local member write an op-ed or letter to the editor in support of free enterprise and reference HaltTheAssault.com
- Submit pictures and stories of how you are promoting the Halt the Assault campaign to your employees and the public
The task is daunting, but with your help, we will be successful. If small business owners and their employees do not defend Free Enterprise, who will?
Thank you again for all that you do on behalf of the merit shop and open competition. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, thoughts or ideas.
Merit Philosophy
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is the industry's voice for merit shop construction, having coined the term to describe a method of doing business that rewards people based on their skills, knowledge, and abilities � not on their membership or ranking in an organization or group. Work should be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder regardless of labor affiliations. ABC believes that union and merit shop (open shop) contractors should work together in harmony.
ABC is the only construction association that promotes the merit shop philosophy and actively markets it membership to the construction industry. ABC has over 23,000 members nationwide with more than 81 chapters covering the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Guam.
ABC members (600 members in Louisiana) support sound legislation in the areas of workers' compensation, safety, and unemployment compensation. ABC and its members believe legislation embraces fair play for both employer and employee that is the underpinning of our free enterprise system. Laws should protect the rights of employees to work regardless of membership or nonmembership in a labor organization.
Some of the key points regarding the role of merit shop construction in building America include:
- Merit shop construction offers unlimited growth and career advancement.
- Merit shop construction protects an individual's right to work and embraces the principle of fair play.
- Merit shop construction accounts for approximately 80% of the construction put in place in the United States.
- Industry polls reveal that 92% of the construction workers employed by merit shop companies have more work hours available per year than their union counterparts.
ABC promotes and defends the individual's rights to unlimited opportunities. Merit shop construction provides unlimited growth and career advancement to workers who recognize the value of hard work and dedication. Skill development and experience lead up the path of personal career growth.
ABC and its members firmly believe that work opportunities in this nation should be available to all people, regardless of race, color, creed, age, sex, or national origin.
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