Author: agcnews

On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule that allows employers to pay bonuses or other incentive-based pay to salaried, nonexempt employees whose hours vary from week to week. The final rule clarifies that payments in addition to the fixed salary are compatible with the use of the fluctuating workweek method under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In the final rule, the DOL: DOL news release can be found here. For more information, contact Claiborne Guy at claiborne.guy@agc.org or 703-837-5382.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on AGC educational programs. Since mid-March, all of AGC’s live events have been postponed or we’ve looked for a way bring the same caliber of information to contractors in a virtual format. On this episode, AGC staff goes over the changes AGC has made to move our programs and events online, including the upcoming Federal Contractors Virtual Conference (fedcon.agc.org/) and Construction Safety, Health & Environmental Virtual Conference (shec.agc.org/).

The Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) recently released its latest edition of the Union Labor Costs in Construction. The report (previously called Trends and Outlook) includes general and detailed information about trends in collectively bargained compensation in the industry, including data analyses by region, by time, and by trade. It can be a valuable resource when preparing for collective bargaining negotiations, particularly when used in conjunction with CLRC’s latest Settlements Report. “In percentage terms, the average increase for the first year of settlements has slowly and steadily risen since 2010/11, from 1.7 percent in 2010 to 2.9 percent in 2019. The gradual trend is forecasted…

On May 11, over 135 members of the House—led by Reps. Conor Lamb (D-PA) and Bob Gibbs (R-OH)—called on Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy to support approximately $50 billion in federal funding for state departments of transportation (DOTs) in the next COVID-19 response package. AGC, along with other transportation construction stakeholders, spearheaded this effort. Also this week, House Democrats proposed providing $15 million in direct funding for state DOTs in their recently released HEROES Act (see above). While AGC appreciates this measure, it is strongly encouraging Congress to increase the amount of funding for state DOTs as the legislative process moves…

On May 14, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released the final hours of service rule in order to improve the safety of the nation’s roads and increase flexibility for truck drivers. The final rule makes changes to four provisions: the short-haul exemption; adverse driving conditions; the 30-minute break; and split-sleeper berth. The final rule does not increase driving time. Last year, AGC submitted comments to FMCSA in support of the notice of proposed rulemaking. For more information, contact Murphie Barrett at murphie.barrett@agc.org

AGC’s Culture of CARE initiative is challenging leaders to take a bold and visible step towards ensuring their workplaces are welcoming, safe and inclusive for an increasingly diverse and talented pool of workers. On this episode, our guests share how this important program got started, how it’s growing, how it’s benefiting contractors in the AGC family, and how more contractors can sign the pledge and get started. Guests:Pastor Lawrence Willis, Urban League Seattle – urbanleague.org/Shannon Gustine, Hensel Phelps – www.henselphelps.com/Kari Karst, BX Civil & Construction – www.bx-cc.com/ Visit the website www.BuildCulture.org to find out how your company can take the Culture of CARE pledge. Companies…

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to release today of House Democrats’ Proposed Coronavirus Recovery Measure: “It is encouraging to see House Democrats moving quickly on legislation intended to help the economy recover from the coronavirus. Their proposal includes measures that will help construction firms that have been hard-hit by declining demand and uncertainty about future market conditions. But the proposal’s authors missed an opportunity to address some of the most significant challenges facing the industry. Read more.

On this episode, we talk with senior AGC staff about Congress’ next coronavirus relief funding proposal, expected policy disagreements, AGC’s top priorities, and the great deal of outreach and advocacy work that the association is doing to keep workers safe and keep construction going. NOTE: As of press time, House Democrats released their recovery bill, and AGC is working on its analysis of the measure.

On May 12, 2020, the Associated General Contractors and other construction contractor groups called on Congress to address the growing multiemployer pension crisis in a letter. While Congress debates the next round of COVID-19 related stimulus legislation to address the unprecedented public health emergency the multiemployer pension crisis has been growing. Construction industry plans account for over half of all multiemployer defined benefit plans and cover nearly four million multiemployer defined benefit participants. The growing urgency for multiemployer pension reform can be attributed to plans experiencing drastic reductions in hourly contributions and substantial market losses. Multiemployer pension plans are funded through…

In a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the Cty. of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund (Maui) case, the Court expanded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reading of its authority to regulate discharges to groundwater and created a new “functional equivalent” test that now leaves contractors confused about whether their stormwater storage ponds, basins and underground storage will require discharge permitting. In the Maui case, the Court weighed the decision of whether discharges to groundwater that make their way to a waters of the United States require Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. In its decision, the Supreme Court rejected…