Author: agcnews

On this episode of ConstructorCast, two of the nation’s leading construction economists, Michael Guckes of ConstructConnect and AGC’s own Ken Simonson will discuss where the economy is headed, construction categories they think will do particularly well, and share their insights on top issues including supply chains and inventories, finding qualified workers, and materials costs. Listen Now! Guests: A.C. Michael Guckes Senior Economist ConstructConnect Michael.guckes@constructconnect.com Construction Economic ResourcesConstruction Economic News Kenneth D. Simonson Chief Economist Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) ken.simonson@agc.org Data Digest, a weekly one-page summary of economic news relevant to construction AGC’s Construction Inflation Alert More AGC construction economic information

On this episode of ConstructorCast, two of the nation’s leading construction economists, Michael Guckes of ConstructConnect and AGC’s own Ken Simonson will discuss where the economy is headed, construction categories they think will do particularly well, and share their insights on top issues including supply chains and inventories, finding qualified workers, and materials costs. Listen Now! Guests: A.C. Michael Guckes Senior Economist ConstructConnect Michael.guckes@constructconnect.com Construction Economic ResourcesConstruction Economic News Kenneth D. Simonson Chief Economist Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) ken.simonson@agc.org Data Digest, a weekly one-page summary of economic news relevant to construction AGC’s Construction Inflation Alert More AGC construction economic information

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT INCREASES IN 38 STATES BETWEEN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, WHILE 42 STATES ADD JOBS SINCE NOVEMBER 2021Florida and Rhode Island Lead in Monthly Job Gains, While Texas and Colorado Have Largest Decreases; California and North Dakota Top List of Year-over-Year Gains, While South Carolina Has Largest Losses Construction employment climbed in 38 states from October to November and 42 states added construction jobs during the past 12 months, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials said the new employment data shows demand remains strong for the industry as…

Before the National Labor Relations Board’s (“Board” of “NLRB”) December 13 decision in Thryv, Inc., the Board’s traditional make-whole remedy for employee losses suffered as a result of an employer’s unfair labor practice was generally limited to back wages and/or reinstatement of employment. Following the decision, employers may be required to pay for a broader range of damages.In the Thryv case, which involved an employer’s alleged unfair labor practices relating to bargaining over a reduction in force, the Board dramatically broadened its interpretation of the scope of employer liability under the National Labor Relation Act (“Act’). It held that, in addition to back wages…

On December 12, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the availability of 64,716 H-2B visas for the entirety fiscal year 2023. The H-2B program allows U.S. employers who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary (seasonal) nonagricultural jobs. Congress has typically capped the number of the temporary visas at 66,000 a year – 33,000 for summer and for winter. The H-2B visa allocation consists of roughly 44,700 visas available to returning workers who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status during one of the…

AGC recently submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) proposed rule to establish a new test for determining who is an independent contractor versus an employee under the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). When the proposal is finalized, it would rescind a Trump administration final rule clarifying the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the FLSA. AGC opposes the creation of this new standard for independent contractor classification and urged the DOL to withdraw this proposed rule. AGC has long called for federal clarification of the independent contractor status and preservation of legitimate independent contractor relationships, such…

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have published a notice of initial guidance providing taxpayers some information on how to satisfy the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for enhanced tax benefits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The publication of this notice begins the 60-day period in which taxpayers must begin construction of a facility (or installation under the rules for expensing energy efficient commercial building property) to receive the enhanced tax benefits without satisfying the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements as described in this notice. Specifically, in order to receive increased incentives, taxpayers must meet the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for…

Expansion Would Threaten Traditional Subcontracting Relationships AGC of America filed comments with the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) on Dec. 7 in response to the agency’s proposed rule to revise the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). The proposed rule would rescind a regulation promulgated by the Board during the Trump Administration and replace it with a standard that would render more employers subject to being deemed a joint employer of another company’s employees. Regulations presently allow a company to be deemed a joint employer under the NLRA only if it actually exercises…

ConsensusDocs and JAMS share common dispute mitigation and resolution goals and bring together a talented group of neutrals to contribute to better and more efficient construction contracting. ConsensusDocs (a family of standard form construction contracts promulgated by 40+ participating construction industry associations) provides form contracts that foster open communication pathways among the parties, a balanced allocation of risks, and avoidance or early mitigation of disputes. JAMS (a leading provider of arbitration, mediation, and related dispute resolution services through a select panel of distinguished neutrals) shares common goals with ConsensusDocs in promoting efficient and cost-effective resolution of the disputes that arise…

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), through a working group of the AGC Contract Documents Forum, has just released comments to the ConsensusDocs 750 Standard Agreement Between the Constructor and Subcontractor. These comments follow on to comments AGC adopted in January of this year related to the ConsensusDocs 200 prime agreement that includes general terms and conditions. General contractors will want to consider these comments in tailoring standard ConsensusDocs contract document language for their own project-specific purposes. ConsensusDocs publishes contractual best practices that are fair to all parties and are created by a coalition of over 40 organizations. AGC’s…