Last night, the OVIDE 2012 Campaign released a statement that the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) endorsed Ovide for New Hampshire Governor.

“Ovide’s positions on reducing business taxes, health care reform and his priority focus on our economy and job creation are important to Associated Builders and Contractors,” said Mark Holden, President of the Associated Builders and Contractors, NH/VT Chapter. “Ovide knows our industry and has demonstrated he is not only interested in but passionate about our pro-free enterprise principa ls. We know a Governor Lamontagne will fight to reduce regulations and will work to reform the culture in Concord to treat New Hampshire businesses as a partner, not an adversary.”

What the Ovide 2012 statement does not tell you is that the ABC is also pushing Right To Work (for less) laws, one of Ovide’s campaign promises. In a statement from the ABC, they commended Gov Mitch Daniels of Indiana for passing a Right To Work law.

The Associated Builders and Contractors also have deep ties to ALEC.

The ABC’s 2009 Chapter Legislative Guide contained 18 bills listed as “property of” ALEC, while the ABC’s 2010 Legislative Handbook included 10 examples of copyrighted ALEC model legislation.

The Associated Builders and Contractors is the same organization to “demand” the repeal of the Davis Bacon Act and end Project Labor Agreements on Federal Projects. Francis Callahan President of the Massachusetts Building Trade s Council told the Lowell Sun:

“Project-labor agreements do not raise costs. He cites the $80 million Taunton courthouse, which was built ahead of schedule and $6 million under budget, as an example.”

The ABC continued their statement by saying

“We will restore the rule of law to labor law by blocking ‘card check,’ enacting the Secret Ballot Protection Act, enforcing the Hobbs Act against labor violence, and passing the Raise Act to allow all workers to receive well-earned raises without the approval of their union representative.”

The raise act in a reinvention of an old union busting tactic, if you give extra money to the non-union workers the union workers will leave the union to get the raise. The catch is that once the union is busted all those raises disappear and wages go down.

You would think with all their political might that they would be the leaders in the construction industry. The truth is the total number of ABC member-contractors amounts to only 1 percent of the total number of licensed or registered construction companies in the United States.

The Associated Builders and Contractors also talk about their fabulous training programs, another lie. The facts are much different.

“There were 429,578 individual apprentices enrolled in the JATC (union) programs from 2002–2011. During the same period, there were 22,260 individual apprentices enrolled in ABC programs in participating states”.

While Ovide Lamontagne says

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Associated Builders and Contractors,” said Lamontagne. “I know this industry well and recognize the important role the hardworking men and women in the construction field will have in revitalizing our economy. I look forward to working with them to do just that in the years ahead.”

His support for the anti-worker ABC shows that he is just full of it.

Matt Murray is the creator and an author on the NH Labor News. He is a union member and advocate for labor and progressive politics. He also works with other unions and members to help spread our message. Follow him on Twitter @NHLabor_News

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