Taking Alabama’s Construction
Industry to Capitol Hill
CEO Deepa Bhate Recounts Her Trip With ABC to Washington D.C.
This week, I had the privilege of traveling to Washington, D.C. with fellow leaders from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and meet with Senator Katie Britt during a luncheon. It was an energizing reminder of why ABC’s advocacy matters — and just how much is at stake for our industry right now.
The State of Our Industry
Construction is one of the most powerful economic engines in America, and Alabama is no exception.
- Nationally, 8 million workers are employed in merit-based construction — an all-time high. The merit shop model works because it rewards people based on skill and performance, offering real career pathways.
- The demand for what we do has never been greater, but our workforce hasn’t kept pace. The industry needs to attract an estimated 349,000 net new workers in 2026 alone just to meet demand for construction services.
- At the same time, materials costs have climbed more than 51% since early 2020, and supply chain volatility continues to create uncertainty on projects of every size.
The work is there. The opportunity is real. But policy has to support it.
What ABC Is Fighting For
The conversations on the Hill covered several issues critical to the future of our industry, but here are a few highlights:
- Fair and Open Competition.ABC strongly opposes government-mandated Project Labor Agreements, which require union-only labor on federally funded projects. These mandates drive up construction costs by as much as 12–20%, exclude 9 out of 10 construction workers from rebuilding their own communities, and have already stalled more than 30 federal projects worth over $17 billion. We believe every qualified worker deserves a fair shot at these jobs.
- Labor and Employment Policy.ABC pushed back against legislation that would insert federal government bureaucrats into private contract negotiations between employers and employees. America’s labor laws should protect worker freedom and business flexibility — not mandate one-size-fits-all outcomes from Washington.
- Immigration and Workforce Solutions.With hundreds of thousands of open positions and not enough domestic workers to fill them, we need sensible, legal pathways that help the industry meet demand while protecting American workers and maintaining accountability for employers.
Why It Matters Here at Home
These aren’t abstract policy debates. They directly shape what we can build, who we can hire, and how competitive our bids can be on the projects that matter most to Alabama communities — schools, roads, commercial developments, and infrastructure that we rely on every day.
It was an honor to carry that message to Washington. Alabama is fortunate to have Senator Britt, who is willing to listen and understand our industry issues. We will continue to Be the Benchmark, show up, and keep advocating.
