Author: agcnews

Tonya has over 25 years in the areas of business development, marketing, and sales experience. She has recently joined Gilbane Building Company where she works as a business development manager. She serves on the board of directors for Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, Douglas County Education Foundation and Douglas County Schools Partners in Education; WellStar-Douglas Hospital Authority Board; University of West Georgia Foundation; committees of the Georgia Economic Developers Association and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce; and the Society of Marketing Professionals. Why did you join the AGC BD Forum? Simply my commitment for continuous professional development and to help build a strong…

In response to the ongoing Omicron wave of COVID-19 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its guidance to reduce, in most instances, both the length of time an individual must isolate after contracting COVID-19, and the quarantine period for those exposed to the illness. While it may be a good sign the CDC believes shorter periods are appropriate due to the prevalence of milder Omicron cases, this new guidance doesn’t come without complexities. The December 27, 2021, guidance not only abruptly changes rules many employers had in place for several months, it also leads to questions about…

ssociation Officials Call on Congress to Promptly Enact Funding to Fulfill Promises for Wide Range of Highway, Transportation and Other Public Sector Projects Included in Recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Total construction spending increased in November compared to levels in October and a year earlier, as gains in private residential and nonresidential projects outweighed decreases in public outlays, according to a new analysis of federal construction spending data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Officials noted that public sector investments were down in part because Congress has failed to provide funding so far for the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill enacted…

On November 15, AGC, along with industry allies, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit challenging the recent OSHA COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS). The suit highlights the many efforts the construction industry has collectively engaged in to combat COVID-19, including funding public service announcements and other proactive measures to encourage contractors to protect their workers throughout the pandemic. It also makes clear that the challenge is not in opposition to the ETS’s objective to get more people vaccinated, but the negative economic impact such a mandate will have on the construction industry and the fact…

On Nov. 10, the general counsel’s office of the National Labor Relations Board issued a memo expressing the position that employers have both decisional and effects bargaining obligations in relation to implementation of OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard to Protect Workers from Coronavirus (“ETS”). Although the ETS is currently on hold, the memo is valuable for what it reveals about the office’s views on employers’ duty to bargain over government mandates generally. The memo states that, while an employer is relieved of the duty to bargain over specific changes in terms and conditions of employment mandated by statute, “the employer may not act…

According to the latest Contractor Compensation Quarterly (CCQ) published by PAS, Inc., Open Shop contractors anticipate skilled craft hourly wage increases of 3.01% in 2021 (3.21% excluding zeros). Actual increases for 2020 were 2.88% (including zeros) and 3.41% (excluding zeros). These increases are across the board for all craft, contractor types, sizes, and regions of the country. WorldatWork reports 2021 actual construction increases at 3.4% for Non-exempt Hourly Non-union positions. Historically, projected numbers are slightly lower than the actual year end figure. The chart below shows how open shop craft wages have fluctuated from 2007 to 2020 (these numbers do not include…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted updated and expanded technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing questions about religious objections to employer COVID-19 vaccine requirements and how they interact with federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws. The expanded technical assistance provides new information about how Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies when an applicant or employee requests an exception from an employer’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement that conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, or observances. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The key updates to the…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) released a proposal on Nov. 18, 2021, that would return to the 1980’s regulatory framework, with some changes, on Waters of the United States (WOTUS). As previously reported in September, a district court vacated the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), which the Biden Administration has interpreted as a nationwide vacatur. Since then, the regulated community has been following the 1980’s regulatory regime and guidance on relevant U.S. Supreme Court rulings. Earlier this summer, the U.S. EPA announced its intention to remove and replace the Trump Administration’s NWPR. The first step is the proposal the U.S. EPA just released…

There are significant flaws with the current 811 utility location system according to a new survey of construction firms that perform any kind of underground excavation released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Most contractors say that calling 811 often leads to inaccurate line marking and that utility firms are often very slow in coming out to even do locate and mark their underground lines. “Construction firms are doing their part to avoid hitting utility lines, but the current 811 system appears to be badly flawed,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Fixing the 811 system will…

AGC is working to block the inclusion of policies that would negatively impact military construction contractors in a final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill—a must-pass, annual defense bill. The House of Representatives passed its version of the NDAA in September and the Senate is expected to begin floor debate on its version as soon as November 15. Among other things, these policies—if included in the final bill—would: require prime contractors and subcontractors to be licensed in the state of the military construction project; establish local hiring preferences; impose subjective criteria into the suspension and debarment process that would make it easier to blacklist…