Author: agcnews

Thu, 01/16/2020 – 08:45 On Jan. 16, the Senate overwhelmingly passed (89-10) H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (USMCA). Senate passage of this legislation clears the way for U.S. ratification of the newly negotiated trade pact between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Once President Trump signs the deal into law, Canada’s ratification is the final step before full implementation of the agreement. AGC has long supported this measure due to the significant economic impact trade with our North American neighbors has on the construction industry. Implementation of this new agreement will help ensure that trade impacting the construction industry supply chain remains…

Thu, 01/16/2020 – 08:15 As the year 2019 and Member Lauren McFerran’s term were both about to expire, the National Labor Relations Board (the Board or NRLB) reversed several noteworthy actions taken by the agency during the Obama Administration. In addition to its Dec. 13 issuance of a regulation curtailing the Obama Board’s controversial “quickie” or “ambush” election rule reported elsewhere, the Board issued decisions in some significant cases during the period, including the following: These decisions were welcomed news for employers, who can expect further employer-friendly rules and rulings in 2020. However, just as the Trump Board has successfully overturned…

“The administration is right to seek to make the review process more efficient and cost effective without sacrificing environmental protections, thereby allowing the public to receive and benefit from cleaner water, safer roads and bridges, and a more reliable energy system in a timelier fashion. Upon initial review, this proposal appears to do just that. “The problem with the current environmental review process is that it long ago stopped being about evaluating the environmental impacts of a proposed project and has become a way for special interest groups to further their agenda by holding needed infrastructure and development projects hostage to countless lawsuits…

The U. S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) released a final rule updating the regulations interpreting joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under the FLSA, an employee may have, in addition to his or her employer, one or more joint employers—additional individuals or entities that are jointly and severally liable with the employer for the employee’s wages. The FLSA requires covered employers to pay their employees at least the federal minimum wage for every hour worked and overtime for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek. In 2017, the DOL withdrew the Obama administration’s sub-regulatory…

Mon, 01/13/2020 – 11:45 Trump Administration Proposal to Reform the Federal Environmental Review Process Will Fix Problems with Current Process While Maintaining Environmental Rigor, Construction Officials Say The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the release today of the Administration’s Proposal to Reform the National Environmental Protection Act Permitting Process: “The administration is right to seek to make the review process more efficient and cost effective without sacrificing environmental protections, thereby allowing the public to receive and benefit from cleaner water, safer roads and bridges, and…

Construction employment increased by 20,000 jobs in December and by 151,000, or 2.0 percent, in all of 2019, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that its recent survey found three out of four contractors expect to keep adding workers in 2020, but even more respondents found it difficult to fill positions in 2019, and a majority anticipate it will be as hard or harder to do so in 2020. Officials called on the federal government to increase funding for career and technical education and expand employment-based immigration for workers whose…

Fri, 01/10/2020 – 10:15 Survey Finds Optimism about 2020 along with Even Tighter Labor Supply as Construction Unemployment Sets Record December Low; Association Calls for Government to Boost Career Opportunities, Immigration Construction employment increased by 20,000 jobs in December and by 151,000, or 2.0 percent, in all of 2019, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that its recent survey found three out of four contractors expect to keep adding workers in 2020, but even more respondents found it difficult to fill positions in 2019, and a majority anticipate it will…

Survey Finds Optimism about 2020 along with Even Tighter Labor Supply as Construction Unemployment Sets Record December Low; Association Calls for Government to Boost Career Opportunities, Immigration Construction employment increased by 20,000 jobs in December and by 151,000, or 2.0 percent, in all of 2019, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that its recent survey found three out of four contractors expect to keep adding workers in 2020, but even more respondents found it difficult to fill positions in 2019, and a majority anticipate it will be as hard or…

What’s old is new again at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as numerous district offices have recently expanded their use of fact-finding conferences. Fact-finding conferences are part of the EEOC’s expansive statutory investigation toolkit, but they are one of the lesser-known and perhaps lesser-used tools. The EEOC is authorized by federal law to utilize fact-finding conferences and may specifically require both parties to participate in order to define, resolve, and potentially settle any issues. According to the EEOC Compliance Manual, a fact-finding conference “is an informal investigative forum, not an adversarial proceeding.” The Compliance Manual outlines best practices for investigators to conduct…

On January 8, AGC of America submitted comments on the National Labor Relations Board’s latest proposed rule to modify union representation-case procedures. Not to be confused with the Board’s “quickie election” rule, which addresses different representation-case procedures, the present rulemaking proposes three changes: (1) replacing the Board’s current “blocking charge” policy with a vote-and-impound procedure that would allow representation elections to move forward while an unfair labor practice charge is pending; (2) modifying the current “voluntary recognition bar” policy by re-establishing a notice requirement and a 45-day open period within which to file an election petition following an employer’s voluntary recognition of a union under…