Author: Crystal Yates

As the political landscape shifts following the recent election, construction professionals in the industry face new challenges and compliance requirements. Join AGC of America on Dec. 17, 2024, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST for a timely and informative webinar that will explore the potential impact of post-election policies on immigration regulations, workforce management, and compliance within the construction sector. Key topics include: This webinar is designed specifically for construction professionals who are responsible for compliance, hiring, managing, and retaining workers in a highly regulated environment. Register here. Registration is free for AGC members and $99 for nonmembers. For more information, contact…

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has released a new guide for employers and workers related to one of the most common issues in the construction industry: harassment. In keeping with its commitment to fighting discrimination and harassment in construction, OFCCP developed this guide as part of the National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality and the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. OFCCP’s new guide is intended to help the public understand the agency’s jurisdiction in the construction industry, clarify what harassment is, includes helpful information for workers, and offers information and guidelines for federal construction contractors and subcontractors, as well as federally…

With over $300 billion dollars in annual revenue tied to alternative project delivery, staying ahead of contracting best practices is crucial for the construction industry. Revenue from the top 100 design-build firms increased more than 26 percent from 2023, according to Engineering News Record’s (ENR’s) 2024 report on top design builder firms (see additional resources below). ENR reports even more overall revenue generated from construction management at-risk firms than design-build firms. To reflect industry advancements and maintain its position as a leader in fair and collaborative contracts, ConsensusDocs is preparing to publish comprehensive edits to its 400-series family of design-build…

As previously reported, AGC has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent rule “Designation of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) as CERCLA Hazardous Substances” (89 Fed. Reg. 39124, May 8, 2024; effective July 8, 2024). AGC appreciates the many members who shared examples of how the rule impacts their businesses, ensuring that the legal challenge is rooted in real-world concerns with the rule. The opening brief for the petitioners (AGC and others*) was filed on Nov. 4th with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The brief focuses on these primary…

Following the listing of prominent per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances earlier this year, the regulated community has been concerned about the lack of “clear and consistent guidelines” for managing these chemicals. As part of a coalition, AGC offered feedback (see Oct. 15 letter) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to update and finalize its interim guidance on the disposal and destruction of PFAS. AGC and its coalition partners offered several recommendations to the agency: Help AGC Provide Meaningful Resources for Members In the coming months, AGC will be developing resources for members related…

On January 30, 2025, AGC will host a series of roundtable discussions on key issues exclusively for in-house environmental managers at construction firms. AGC is pleased to announce that AGC member firm, Haselden Construction, will host the meeting at their headquarters in Centennial, Colorado—just outside of Denver. As usual, you set the agenda for the discussions to address the top items on your to-do-list or jobsite concerns. AGC will poll attendees in advance to identify the topics and discussion leaders. Please register here! To ensure active discussion, space is limited at the table, however additional registrants are welcome to join.…

AGC of America would like to know who represents AGC-member contractors and AGC chapters in labor and employment law matters. Please respond to this short poll to let us know. Thank you in advance for your input!

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) released a revised Scheduling Letter and Itemized Listing for construction contractors on Oct. 2, 2024. It will require contractors to provide significantly more detailed data and documents with the initial audit submission than ever before. The new Scheduling Letter is effective for all construction audits initiated “on or after October 1, 2024.” Importantly, contractors have only 30 calendar days from receipt of the Scheduling Letter to submit their audit materials. OFCCP has not historically audited construction contractors as often as supply and service contractors, and many construction contractors…

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has announced the scheduling of upcoming two-day, online seminars on the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act and other related topics. Seminars are scheduled on Nov. 13-14, 2024, March 18-19, 2025, June 25-26, 2025, and Sept. 24-25, 2025. Participants can choose among the sessions offered either of the two days. Seminar attendance is free, but registration is required. The Department says that additional information, including links to the sessions for each date, will be provided to participants after registration. More information is also available on the Department’s website here. AGC is not affiliated with these seminars and is merely…

A new Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) Settlements Report finds that collective bargaining agreements settled from January through September 2024 saw an average total package increase of 4.7%. The CLRC notes despite cooling inflation, settlement increases remain high due to the multi-year nature of collective bargaining cycles still reflecting the recent surge in inflation. On a dollar value basis, the increase was $2.95, the same compared to the first three quarters of 2023. Similarly, contracts saw a substantial jump from 2020 due to inflation. Regionally, the Mountain Northern Plains region saw the highest increases and the smallest increases were in…