ENR lists top contractors

Several Michigan firms are on the annual rankings of the Engineering News Record's top 400 contractors.

Among the top 100 firms are Southfield-based Barton-Malow (#34), Walbridge-Aldinger of Detroit (#54), Angelo Iafrate of Warren (#61) and Ellis Donn Construction Inc. of Northville (#68). All the Michigan-based firms in the top 100 moved up slightly in the rankings from the year before. The firms were rated according to revenues from prime construction contracts, joint ventures and subcontracts.

Bechtel of San Francisco was ranked No. 1 on the list. Other big contractors on the top 100 list that are familiar to Michigan include The Turner Corp of Dallas (#5); Washington Group Int'l (#8) of Boise; Hunt Construction Group, Indianapolis, Ind. (#19) and Alberici Corp. of St. Louis (#51).

Michigan-based contractors in the rankings, or out-of-state contractors who work on a number of our state's projects include the Boldt Co. of Appleton, Wis. (#109); Christman Co. of Lansing (#122); Rudolph/Libbe Cos. Inc., of Walbridge, Ohio (#155); JM Olson Corp. of St. Clair Shores (#159); Granger Construction Co. of Lansing (#191); John Carlo Inc. of Clinton Township (#208); Roncelli Inc., Sterling Heights (#251); Lunda Construction Co., Black River Falls, Wis. (#276); Clark Construction of Lansing (#286); George W. Auch Co., Pontiac (#308) and Rockford Construction Co. Inc., Belmont, Mich. (#399).

Building trades appeal Bush's order

AFL-CIO Building Trades Department President Edward Sullivan vowed to "exhaust every avenue" to block an Executive Order issued by President Bush in February that effectively bans the use of project labor agreements (PLAs) on federally assisted construction jobs.

He said unions will file a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that upheld Bush's ability to make that Executive Order. A previous lower court ruling said Bush overstepped his authority in making the Executive Order.

PLAs have been used on hundreds of different high-profile projects in both private and public sectors for more than 40 years. In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the use of PLAs on public projects in a case involving the cleanup of Boston Harbor.

"We are taking this case to the highest court in the land because we will not stand by and watch the National Labor Relations Act - which gives rights to both workers and employers - be disassembled by Executive Order," Sullivan said. "It is a misuse of presidential power to restrict the use of federal funds allocated by Congress, with total disregard for the impact such restrictions will have on labor laws that have stood for over six decades.

"The Executive Order is a back door attempt to undermine the rights of millions of taxpaying construction craftspeople across this nation."