The Building Industry Association of Southern California was originally established in 1923 as the Building Contractors Association (BCA).

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America saw its PAC's coffers swell when contributors could have a chance to win a new Cadillac for a $195 donation.

"We are facing serious shortages," said Ray McGuire, general counsel for the Contractors Association of Greater New York, a trade association.

"It's been slower to hit the Northeast," said John Grau, chief executive of the National Electrical Contractors Association in Washington.

He became the Chairman of the Northern Regional Contractors Association in 1996 until the December 2000 Elections.

"The resistance at the hiring end is a resistance based only on qualification," said John R. Smith Jr., general manager of the Contractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania.

Following his tenure in the House, Hodges worked as Executive Vice President of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Northwest Ohio from 2000-2005.

"The iron workers took us by surprise," said Ray McGuire, managing director of the Contractors Association of Greater New York, which is not directly involved in the talks.

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America, which represents building contractors across the country, is a case in point.

The attack occurred when Mr. Landsmark was director of the Contractors Association of Boston.