Author: agcnews

Written by Christine Preusler for Constructor Magazine ConTech — a blend of “construction” and “technology” that is used to describe digital industry solutions — is easy to brush off as a sensational term. But the transformative technology behind the buzzword is genuinely worth knowing. Regardless of what we call them, these new tech tools — from cloud-based jobsite analytics platforms to digital tunnel construction and monitoring services — are radically altering the industry. Between reduced costs, improved safety, better efficiency and enhanced project outcomes, contractors are enjoying a wide range of digitally induced benefits. In an era where infrastructure contractors…

Contractor publishes illustrated children’s book to spur interest in construction… Written by Nick Fortuna for Constructor Magazine Something happens between the toddler years, when kids push dump trucks and stack building blocks on the living-room floor, and the teenage years, when ambitious high-school students worry about their class rank, convinced that an expensive college degree is their only path to success. Whether it’s through parents, teachers, media or other influencers, kids get the message that construction is an “alternative path,” a backup option in case they can’t hack it in college, said Chris Eccleston, owner of Salisbury, Md.-based Delmarva Veteran…

San Antonio AGC is celebrating its centennial year, and the chapter is excited to introduce its all-woman team: President Lauren Mandel, Education and Membership Manager Jennifer Munoz and Events and Marketing Communications Coordinator Alexandria Ballew. According to AGC of America, women make up only 11% of the overall construction workforce, with only 4% in professional craft positions, so the chapter is incredibly proud to be boosting those numbers! As an all-female staff, San Antonio AGC hopes to offer a platform for women in construction and honor their contributions, additionally, with an incoming chair. Despite Lauren and Alexandria both joining San…

Every year, during September — National Suicide Prevention Month — the construction industry dedicates a week to raising awareness about the high number of suicides in the industry, and to provide resources to help prevent those deaths. The Construction Suicide Prevention Week initiative provides free resources to people in and around the construction industry to help them start conversations, hold stand-down events and share information with colleagues who may be struggling. The mission is to put more tools in the hands of the people who build our communities, but we need your help. With over 7 million people employed in construction in the U.S.…

Construction Employment Reaches 7,993,000 amid Strong Demand for Project, Firms Boost Pay to $34.40 an Hour as They Try to Attract a Limited Pool of Qualified Workers with Sector’s Unemployment at 3.9% The construction industry added 22,000 jobs in August, while total construction spending rose 0.7 percent in July, despite a downturn in most infrastructure investment categories, according to an analysis of new government data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials cautioned that progress on many public infrastructure projects was likely being undermined by the added layers of red tape the Biden administration continues to add for new…

It’s got a long name that belies its intent to streamline the process of getting things done. Constructor sat down with one of its architects to get some details on its content and the AGC collaboration that’s helping move its ideas forward. WRITTEN BY A.D. THOMPSON FOR CONSTRUCTOR MAGAZINE Limited delays. Efficient reviews. Reforms that the members of AGC of America have long recommended. They’re the core principles of The Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act, legislation championed by Rep. Garret Graves(R-LA). The bill was included as part of H.R. 1 – the Lower Energy…

On August 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a proposal to amend its regulation authorizing which individuals can serve as representatives of employees and employers during the physical inspection of a workplace. OSHA’s stated purpose is to clarify the right of workers and certified bargaining units to specify a worker or union representative regardless of whether the representative is an employee of the employer, even in the absence of a recognized collective bargaining agreement. OSHA contends that the current regulation explicitly allows walkaround participation by an employee representative who is not an employee of the employer. However, their interpretation conflicts with…

Revised rule continues to follow principles rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court As anticipated and reported by AGC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (agencies) revised their earlier 2023 definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) on August 209. The agencies are calling it the “conforming WOTUS rule” – reporting that it conforms to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency decision that struck down key aspects of the 2023 WOTUS rule. On the contrary, AGC and its coalition partners (see summary) find that the revised rule does not adequately comply with Supreme Court…

Construction employment increased in 226 of 358 metro areas between July 2022 and July 2023, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials said demand for many types of construction remained strong in most parts of the country, but firms still have hundreds of thousands of unfilled construction positions. “Demand for construction projects remains strong nationwide and most metros have continued to add construction jobs in the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But there were 378,000 unfilled job openings in construction at the end of July, which suggests that…

AGC to Provide Educational Webinars on September 26 & October 3 The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have published a notice of proposed rulemaking providing more information on how to satisfy the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements (PWA) for enhanced tax benefits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This is the second round of guidance and request for input. Treasury and the IRS previously provided guidance on the PWA requirements in 2022, to which AGC submitted extensive feedback. In today’s announcement, Treasury and IRS advise that generally, these new proposed rules provide guidance to taxpayers intending to claim the increased credits or…