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On April 12, ABC members attended a ceremony with President Trump in the White House Rose Garden celebrating the positive effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on businesses. As a result of the bill, 55 percent of ABC contractor members say they plan to hire more employees, and 52 percent plan to invest in workforce development, according to a recent poll. In addition, 90 percent of member companies say employees have seen an increase in their paychecks.
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Commercial and industrial construction contractors entered 2018 with abundant confidence regarding sales and staffing levels for the next six months, according to the latest Construction Confidence Index released by ABC. All three components surveyed—sales, profit margins and staffing levels—remained well above 50 in the diffusion index, signaling ongoing progress.
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Citing a survey of ABC member and chapter labor attorneys that found widespread dissatisfaction with the 2014 “ambush” election final rule, ABC submitted comments urging the National Labor Relations Board to rescind the rule in whole or in significant part and return to the election procedures that were in effect and working well prior to the new rule’s adoption.
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On April 12, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division released three opinion letters that address compliance issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act and other similar laws.
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ABC and the U.S. Veterans Business Alliance recently signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on expanding the participation of veteran and disabled veteran businesses in the merit shop construction industry. The agreement was signed on March 20 during ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif.
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Prices for inputs to construction materials expanded 0.8 percent in March and are 5.8 percent higher than at the same time one year ago, according to an ABC analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Prices for nonresidential construction inputs increased 0.9 percent on a monthly basis and are up 5.6 percent year over year.
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The U.S. construction industry lost 15,000 jobs on net in March, according to an ABC analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This represents a significant reversal from February, when the industry added a post-recession high of 65,000 net new jobs (upwardly revised from +61,000).
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On April 11, the U.S. Senate voted 50-48 to confirm John Ring to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Mr. Ring's confirmation brings the NLRB back to five members: three Republicans and two Democrats. ABC sent a letter to the Senate in support of Mr. Ring, who served as a partner at Morgan Lewis. ABC will count Wednesday's vote as a key vote for the 115th congressional scorecard.
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On April 9, federal agency heads signed the “One Federal Decision Memorandum of Understanding,” which will further implement the administration's executive order to streamline the federal permitting process for major infrastructure projects. ABC expressed support for the executive order when it was announced in 2017.
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ABC’s
Construction Executive magazine was included in a list of the top 20 contractor magazines issued by GenieBelt, a construction project management software company. The magazine also won a Silver Azbee Award of Excellence for the Mid-Atlantic region from the American Society of Business Publication Editors last week.
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