Western Colorado Chapter Update
ABC Western Colorado kicked off its participation in the federal, state and local campaigns by hosting its annual Government and Legislative Affairs night. “Advocating on behalf of our members and the merit shop philosophy has always been key to our purpose,” said 2010 Chapter Chair Gordon Spears. “Through programs like this we inform and educate our members so they can make the best choices at the polls.”
Jim Elmer, 2010 ABC National Chair, a featured speaker for the event provided a summary of the issues ABC National was fighting. The Employee Free Choice Act, Health Care Reform, and Union Only Project Labor Agreements were some of the top concerns. Jim stressed the importance of this year’s races noting this is also the year of the U.S. Census which means the legislators will be redrawing district maps that can affect elections for years to come.
Candidates seeking ABC endorsements included State Representative of Colorado Scott Tipton and one of his challengers for 3rd Congressional seat, Bob McConnell. Scott Tipton has had a history with the Western Colorado chapter and has gained our support in the past.
Seeking ABC’s support, Bob describes himself as “a God fearing, Constitution carrying, conservative Republican.” A retired Colonel, Airborne Ranger, Bob told ABC members he entered the race because of the Tea Party movement and anger over the erosion of our Constitution. The democratic challenger in the race is incumbent John Salazar.
Running for Colorado State House District 54 Bob Hislop and Ray Scott asked ABC members for their support. Bob noted the importance of the 2010 elections as it relates to redistricting, and Ray Scott reminisced about the days when business owners were more involved in politics than they are today. Running for Colorado State House District 58 Don Coram touts himself as pro-business and a free enterprise candidate.
Rounding out the evening, Colorado State Senator Josh Penry spoke on behalf of Scott McInnis. Later this year, ABC-Western Colorado will co-host a gubernatorial debate with Scott McInnis and John Hickenlooper. A recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, shows McInnis in the lead by just a few percentage points. It is likely this will be a very close race.
(10/28/2009)
ABC member companies that participate in the Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) receive 70 percent fewer citations per inspection and have an overall fatality rate that is 59 percent lower than the national Bureau of Labor Statistics average for the construction industry, according to an analysis of STEP participation in 2009. STEP participants also have an incidence rate that is 41 percent lower than the national average for construction. To read entire article click
here To fill out a STEP application, click here. Verizon Wireless and ABC Sept. 16 officially launched an exclusive partnership that will allow ABC contractor members to receive discounts on monthly access calling plans and devices.
Under the program, ABC contractor members will receive discounts on existing and new monthly access calling plan fees, and receive discounts on new accessories. Employees of participating contractors will be able to receive discounts on both new and existing personal lines.
In order to make the transition as easy as possible, ABC members that already have a calling plan through Verizon Wireless can sign up for the service without changing the terms of their current agreement.
ABC contractors also will have access to Verizon’s construction-specific applications developed to help them improve their project management practices and increase productivity on the job.
For more information, visit www.abc.org/verizon.