Florida gets "A" ranking in Merit Shop
Scorecard, ranking highest in nation
Florida Construction News staff writer
Florida topped the list this year
for the Associated Builders and
Contractors' (ABC) 2018 Merit Shop
Scorecard, an annual annual state
ranking based by the non-union
contractors' group “on policies and
programs that encourage open
competition, education and job
growth, and award construction
contracts based solely on merit, re-
gardless of labor affiliation.”
Florida vaulted from ninth posi-
tion in 2017 to first based on the
state’s free-enterprise and open-
competition approach to the con-
struction sector, increased career
and technical education opportuni-
ties and job growth rates. Mean-
while, Michigan saw the biggest
improvement in its ranking, rocket-
ing from 24th in 2017 to seventh
this year after the repeal of its pre-
vailing wage law, which will result in
greater competition and lower
costs for construction projects.
The Florida Merit Shop
Scorecard details
“States like Florida and Michigan
have built an environment that al-
lows merit shop construction con-
tractors to thrive,” said Ben
Brubeck, ABC’s vice-president of
regulatory, labor and state affairs.
“Prioritizing policies that support
small business owners, the Ameri-
can worker and the overall con-
struction sector spurs economic
growth, which directly leads to
more projects and therefore more
construction jobs across the coun-
try.” Comparatively, California tum-
bled from 38th to 50th this year due
to a decreased focus on workforce
development and careers in techni-
cal education, which remains a pri-
ority for ABC members and the
overall construction sector. Califor-
nia was trailed only by Illinois,
which was ranked last for the sec-
ond year in a row with an F rating in
project labor agreements, prevailing
wage, Right to Work and workforce
development incentives, according
to ABC’s scorecard.
“Much of the movement up and
down in the rankings was due in
part to the level of state policy-
maker support for workforce devel-
opment and technical education,”
said Brubeck. “With an estimated
500,000 open construction posi-
tions in the United States, it is es-
sential that states prioritize work-
force policies that recruit, educate
and benefit the American worker
and fill the skills gap.”
Now in its fourth year, Building
America: The Merit Shop Scorecard
rates state laws, programs, policies
and statistics to highlight those that
have created the conditions for
growth and identify areas where
strategic improvements are
needed. Criteria and definitions are avail-
able at meritshopscorecard.org.
Florida Construction News — DECEMBER 2018 - JANAURY 2019 – 3