Author: agcnews

Construction Officials Say New Infrastructure Funding, Tariff Relief and Measures to Reduce Manufacturing and Delivery Delays for Key Materials Needed to Jump Start Nonresidential Activity Nonresidential construction spending in April declined for the fifth-straight month to a two-year low as demand waned for numerous public and private project categories in the face of lengthening production and delivery times for materials, along with fast-rising prices for many items, according to an analysis of new federal construction spending data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Officials with the association urged the President and Congress to boost infrastructure investments, remove tariffs on…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has posted updated and expanded technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing questions arising under the federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws. The EEOC also posted a new resource for job applicants and employees, explaining how federal employment discrimination laws protect workers during the pandemic. These publications are provided to help employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities at work during the pandemic. The expanded technical assistance provides new information about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) apply when an employer offers incentives for employees to provide…

Expands Renewable Energy & EV Tax Credits; Attaches Labor Requirements On May 26 and in spite of AGC’s concerns, the Senate Finance Committee passed the Clean Energy for America Act, which would consolidate and expand numerous tax incentives for the construction of energy efficient infrastructure and the production of renewable energy. The legislation would also create and greatly expand tax incentives for electric vehicles (EVs)—which do not pay into the federal Highway Trust Fund for their use of roads, bridges, and highways. In addition, the bill does not contemplate a path forward for ensuring EVs contribute to the HTF. The bill also—for…

Other Senate Committees Must Act on Transit, Rail Programs On May 26, the Senate Environment and Works (EPW) Committee unanimously passed the AGC-backed Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021. The bill would provide historic level of investment—$311 billion over five years—for roads, bridges and highways. The legislation also includes important streamlining provisions that will cut down on administrative duplication in the environmental permitting and review process, maintains state flexibility in policy decisions on addressing highway congestion, and more. The Senate Banking and Commerce committees must now put forth proposals on transit and rail policy and funding, as those fall under their…

In April, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued updated COVID-19 FAQs related to contractor vaccine policies. The FAQs established that when vaccination is mandated by employers, adverse reactions related to employees receiving the vaccine are a recordable injury/illness, and, in some cases, may be recordable even when contractors only recommend, or encourage, employees receive the vaccine (for background, click here). On May 12, AGC put forth its concerns to OSHA. On May 21, OSHA issued a single FAQ stating that “DOL and OSHA, as well as other federal agencies, are working diligently to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. OSHA does not wish to…

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) has decided to maintain its longstanding contract-bar doctrine, despite AGC-supported signals by the Board that changes would be coming. The contract-bar doctrine generally precludes a union representation or decertification election during the term of a legitimate 9(a) collective bargaining agreement for up to a three-year term. During this “contract bar” period, the Board will dismiss representation petitions unless filed during the 30-day period that begins 90 days and ends 60 days before the agreement expires. Last year, the Board invited interested parties to submit amicus briefs in the Mountaire Farms case to provide input…

Union contractors, labor representatives, and other stakeholders in the unionized sector of the construction and maintenance industry expressed continued but reduced optimism regarding growth in early 2021 as compared to early 2020, according to the 2021 Union Craft Labor Supply Study recently released by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) and the Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC). “Last year, this study occurred just prior to the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic. This year, the data reflect nearly a year of living with the pandemic,” the report explains. “Thus, the results from last year’s study compared to this year provide a clean ‘before…

Learn more at July 20-22 virtual conference, free to AGC members The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed an update to its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) covering stormwater discharges from construction activities. EPA has also released a proposed 2022 CGP Fact Sheet, which includes a summary table of some of the changes. Forty-seven states use EPA’s permit as a model for their own permits, so its impact extends beyond the three states (New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Massachusetts), territories and other areas that use it exclusively. The proposed changes include clarifications on— EPA is also requesting…

Texas and Louisiana Have Worst Job Losses Since February 2020, While Utah and Idaho Top Gainers; Illinois and New Hampshire Add the Most in April, as Texas and Iowa Posts Biggest Monthly Losses Construction employment in April remained below the pre-pandemic high set in February 2020 in 36 states and the District of Columbia, despite increases from March to April in 26 states, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials said that the sector’s recovery was being undermined by increases in materials prices, delays in receiving key construction supplies and labor…