Author: agcnews

The Associated General Contractors of America’s chief executive officer, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the election of Joseph Biden to serve as the next president of the United States: “Congratulations to President-elect Biden and all newly elected and re-elected members of Congress. We are ready to work with the incoming administration and Congress to help craft an agenda that is focused in rebuilding infrastructure and reviving the national economy. To that end, we are eager to work with the president-elect as he and his team fashion their promised infrastructure investment proposals. In addition, we look…

Construction employment increased by 84,000 jobs in October, with jobs added in both nonresidential and residential categories, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials cautioned, however, that the pandemic is causing a growing number of construction projects to be canceled or delayed, according to a survey the association released in late October. “The employment data for October is good news, but our latest survey found that only a minority of contractors expect to add to their workforce in the next 12 months,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “As project…

Oregon voters became the first in the nation to decriminalize possession of “hard drugs” and thus making it easier to use illegal substances leading to safety and health implications. In addition, the measure could contribute to the workforce shortage when the industry resumes hiring. Florida voters approved raising the state minimum wage to $15 an hour, joining 8 other states and DC. In another sign of the times, Colorado voters approved a Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, making it the first state to do so through ballot initiative, and the ninth plus DC with state paid family leave law in the country. There…

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recently issued two new opinion letters. Of particular interest is opinion letter FLSA2020-16 addressing compensability of employee travel time in certain situations involving construction sites located away from the employer’s principal place of business. Specifically, the letter discusses the compensability of a non-exempt (e.g., overtime-eligible) foremen and laborer’s travel time under the Fair Labors Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official document authored by WHD on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity requesting the letter. Opinion letters represent official statements of agency…

On Oct. 26, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lenders would send a questionnaire to PPP borrowers who received a principal loan amount of $2 million or more and have to return a completed questionnaire in ten days. No questionnaire had been released until late on Oct. 30, when Politico released what appears to be a leaked version of the questionnaire, found here. As of this moment, the SBA has neither verified the Politico released questionnaire nor released an official one. The questionnaire is subject to review by and final approval of the White House Office of Management…

Four states (Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota) approved recreational use of marijuana while Mississippi approved use of medical marijuana in ballot measures on Tuesday. The additions on Tuesday make 15 states and DC with legalized marijuana. Federal attempts to decriminalize and legalize marijuana are on the horizon. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to eventually consider the MORE Act, which would remove federal penalties for marijuana use. AGC continues to advocate for the ability for employers to maintain drug free workplaces. The association remains concerned over the implications of the MORE Act and the impact marijuana legalization use could have on workplace safety. Marijuana negatively impacts attention…

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recently issued two new opinion letters. Of particular interest is opinion letter FLSA2020-16 addressing compensability of employee travel time in certain situations involving construction sites located away from the employer’s principal place of business. Specifically, the letter discusses the compensability of non-exempt (e.g., overtime-eligible) foremen’s and laborers’ travel time under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official document authored by WHD on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity requesting the letter. Opinion letters represent official statements of agency policy.…

There’s real potential that we will be printing large concrete buildings in the future. But on this episode, Ryan Shults of Gilbane Building Company and Steven Koehler of Linbeck hope to convince you that contractors can easily benefit from Desktop 3D printing technology right now. They share how they are using 3D printing in various construction applications to help them get, plan and execute projects. Guests:Ryan Shults | VDC Manager | Gilbane Building Company – www.gilbaneco.com/Steven Koehler | VDC Coordinator | Linbeck – www.linbeck.com/ AGC Project Innovation & Delivery Forum – Volunteer Opportunity:AGC members can also join the Project Innovation & Delivery…

A small increase in total construction spending in September masked a widening gap between declines in most nonresidential segments and robust gains in residential construction, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials warned nonresidential construction is headed for an even steeper slump unless officials in Washington enact relief promptly, noting that their latest industry survey found three out of four respondents had experienced a postponed or cancelled project since the start of the pandemic. “The September spending report shows the gulf between housing and nonresidential markets is growing steadily wider,” said…

A recently unclassified memorandum extends a waiver on the applicability of a new prohibition—often referred to as “Section 889 Part B”—of certain telecommunications for the Department of Defense (DOD), which can include items construction contractors install in conjunction with DOD projects. The prohibition bars federal agencies from entering into, extending, or renewing a contract with a contractor that uses any equipment, system, or service that utilizes certain Chinese companies’ telecommunications equipment or services as a component or critical technology of any system, unless an exception applies or a waiver is granted. The new memo will allow DOD to continue to contract for “low risk”…