Author: agcnews
Union membership across occupations in the construction industry declined from an annual average of 1,055,000 in 2019 to 993,000 in 2020, a drop of 62,000 or 5.9%, according to an annual economic release recently issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”). However, total construction industry employment declined even more, from 8,352,000 to 7,829,000, a drop of 523,000 or 6.3%. As a result, union members’ share of employment inched up from 12.63% to 12.68%. Interestingly, while union membership inched up, union representation of workers in the industry actually declined over the year. In 2019, 1,133,000 (13.57%) workers in construction were represented by a…
Price increases—some to record-setting levels—and long delivery delays are causing hardships for construction firms that are also experiencing challenges in completing projects with crews limited by illness or new work site procedures resulting from the pandemic, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials urged the Biden administration to review and rescind a range of trade tariffs in place, including for Canadian lumber, that are contributing to the price increases. “The extreme price increases, as reflected in today’s producer price index report and other sources, are harming contractors on existing…
In this new episode of Commercial Construction: Elevate The Industry Podcast, Brian Turmail, Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at Associated General Contractors of America, outlines the role of the AGC in support of commercial construction including advocacy, training, networking and more. He discusses how AGC had influence in keeping construction “Essential” through COVID-19, changes in PPP and other current legislative issues. He talks a lot about future trends in the industry, including a five year look-ahead. He also discusses how construction is unique among businesses and things he hopes do not change. “Throughout the interview, Brian’s energy…
On February 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, a bill that would provide nearly $4 billion to expand registered apprenticeships through grants and modify the approval process for apprenticeship programs. Importantly, the bill elevates the role of registered apprenticeship, makes it a national priority, and aligns workforce programs across multiple federal agencies. However, the bill includes language that would bar access to the new grant opportunities to programs that do not partner with a labor union. AGC supports all bona fide and high-quality apprenticeship programs that are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor and…
The COVID-relief bill moving through Congress does not include a federal paid leave mandate. However, it does include an extension of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) refundable tax credits from March 31, 2021 through September 30, 2021 for those employers that follow those expired mandates. Additional information and guidance on FFCRA and the tax credits can be found on the Department of Labor website and Internal Revenue Service website. However, the tax credits included in the COVID-relief bill would also increase the amount of wages for which an employer may claim the paid family credit in a year from $10,000 to $12,000 per…
On February 10, the House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation, as part of the broader Biden Administration COVID-relief legislation, that would extend the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) through December 31, 2021. Previously, AGC supported the expansion and extension of the ERTC in the end-of-year (2020) COVID relief bill, which boosted the credit for eligible employers from $5,000 per year to $7,000 per quarter and extended its availability through June 31, 2021. The Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress have made it a priority to pass further COVID relief before enhanced unemployment benefits expire on March 14. AGC anticipates this…
On February 10, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved its portion of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill. The legislation would provide $30 billion to public transit programs, $8 billion to airports and $1.5 billion to Amtrak. The vast majority of those funds would go to maintaining existing operations. However, the Federal Transit Administration’s capital investment grants programs would receive $1.25 billion ($1 billion for New Starts and Core Capacity program and 250 million for Small Starts program) and $608 million would be allocated to airport development projects. While some have pointed to the $350 billion allotted for state and…
Webinar Playback and Q&A Document Now Available In response to the present situation regarding the Coronavirus pandemic and the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, AGC of America (AGC) has recently produced several resources to assist construction employers as they consider any vaccine policies. The following resources were developed by AGC and Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s largest labor and employment law firms dedicated to representing employers, and are FREE to AGC members: These resources are provided to inform AGC members about their rights and obligations under federal law so that they can make well-informed decisions when adopting employment policies and practices related…
Construction employment stagnated in January, ending eight months of recovery from the pandemic-related losses of early 2020, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials added that new measures being considered in Congress, including the PRO Act and the National Apprenticeship Act, threaten to undermine the sector’s recovery by disrupting ongoing projects and hampering employers’ ability to train workers. “The stagnation in construction employment in January may foreshadow further deterioration in the industry as projects that had started before the pandemic finish up and owners hold off on awarding new…
On Feb. 3, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing for Michael Regan on his nomination for Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During the hearing, Regan pledged to work with the Committee on constituent concerns surrounding air, water, chemicals, fuel, and climate issues. AGC sent a letter to the Committee on the advent of the hearing to acknowledge Regan’s qualifications but also to express our concerns about job losses and industry being shut out from the conversation. Regan listened to the need to sustain energy jobs and energy security in the short-term and long-term. He maintained that replacement…