Author: agcnews

AGC’s 2021 Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference wrapped up Oct. 15 after two days of in-person education, sharing of best practices and networking in St. Louis, MO. The conference continues to be a must-attend event for human resources and training professionals in the construction industry. This year’s conference was preceded by AGC of America’s inaugural National Construction Industry Workforce Summit. This summit was designed to bring leaders in construction and workforce development together to find solutions to chronic worker shortages in the industry. During this day-long summit, construction and workforce development professionals learned about successful programs that are helping…

Negotiators conducting collective bargaining between January and September of this year agreed to raise construction craft workers’ wage and fringe benefits by an average of 2.6 percent or $1.63 during the first contract year, according to the Construction Labor Research Council’s (CLRC) latest Settlements Report. These rates are comparable with increases granted in 2020, but CLRC projects slightly higher increases for the near future. Geographically, the highest average first-year increase by percentage negotiated so far this year was 3.7 percent out of both the Mountain Northern Plains Region (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) at 3.7 percent and the New…

The 2021 CCC Gala, with a theme of “Hot Havana Nights” started with a goal of raising $100,000 for student education in the Construction industry. Within two hours the group met that goal and exceeded it times four including generous donations of $250,000 by Procore’s HBCU challenge fund, a $62,500 donation and new scholarship fund established with AGC Georgia, and a $25,000 HBCU fund donation by Bob Bowen. The night featured a cigar bar, a live band, dancing, and the gathering of close friends and Foundation supporters who were happy to just be back together again. Photos of the merriment…

Many employers are wondering about the extent to which they can incent employees and their dependents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by adjusting medical plan eligibility, modifying medical plan premiums payable by employees, and/or excluding coverage of treatment of the coronavirus where a plan enrollee chooses not to receive the vaccine and then contracts the virus. In this article, Lockton provides thoughts on what’s permissible and what’s not, and views on best practices. Click here to read more.

Releases New Myth v. Fact Document With misinformation in the public sphere about the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (formerly titled the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), AGC has produced a myth versus fact document—click HERE—to help correct the record. The AGC co-chaired Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) recently took issue with a “fact sheet” put forth by House Republican leadership that included several misrepresentations. In addition, the TCC shared its consternation with the House Democrats’ Progressive Caucus delaying a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. You can find an overall AGC summary of the bipartisan infrastructure bill HERE. Additionally, a breakdown of what’s in the bill…

AGC Seeks Meeting with White House; Engaged Legal Counsel On October 12, the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) sent its draft emergency temporary standard (ETS) to the White House for review, a signal that a final ETS could be issued within a matter of days or weeks. The OSHA ETS will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or mandate that any workers who remain unvaccinated produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis. AGC plans to meet with the White House to share a…

Construction Officials Renew Push for Immediate Removal of Tariffs on Key Construction Materials, Urge Congress and the Administration to Take Steps to Repair “Every Level” of the Supply Chain The prices contractors pay for construction materials far outstripped the prices contractors charge in the 12 months ending in September, despite a recent decline in a few materials prices, while delivery problems intensified, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials urged Washington officials to end tariffs on key construction materials and take steps to help unknot snarled supply points. “Construction materials costs…

AGC Hosts Webinar; Continues Dialogue with Agencies; Engaged Legal Counsel On October 14, AGC held a webinar—free for AGC members—with the prominent federal procurement law firm Crowell & Moring to run through the ins and outs of the federal contractor vaccine mandate from a construction contractor perspective. A recording of the webinar and its slides will be made available shortly. The General Services Administration also held its own webinar on October 13, the slides from which can be found HERE and a recording will be made available by the agency soon. For more information on how other federal agencies are addressing this…

In a rare victory for employers that participate in multiemployer pension plans, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that the interest rate memorialized in the Segal Blend actuarial assumption was inappropriate to use in a withdrawal liability calculation because it is not based on “anticipated experience under the plan.” While likely to be further challenged, the September 28, 2021, opinion in Sofco Erectors, Inc. v. Trustees of the Ohio Operating Engineers Pension Fund, may provide significant leverage to employers in challenging—and settling—withdrawal liability assessments, especially for employers and multiemployer pension plans subject to the jurisdiction of the…

Firm Wins AGC Innovation Award for Developing a Virtual Reality Safety Training Program WASHINGTON – Chicago-based Pepper Construction was named the most innovative construction firm in the country for developing a virtual reality safety training program by leveraging tools and staffing resources that were already in place to create a “real life” safety learning environment. As a result, Pepper Construction was named as the grand prize winner of the AGC Innovation Awards, sponsored by Autodesk. “In order to make construction projects great, firms must innovate,” said Bob Lanham, the association’s president and president of Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. in Houston,…