Newsline

Join over 750 owners, industry executives and key decision-makers for three days of in-depth public-private partnership (P3) learning, business development, and extraordinary networking opportunities and the annual P3 Conference in Dallas, Texas Feb. 23-25. 

ABC and 19 other business trade groups, sent a letter on Nov. 6 requesting that President Obama withdraw the “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” Executive Order (E.O.). The letter, sent to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Thomas Perez and Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz, outlines ABC’s concerns that the E.O. dramatically changes the enforcement mechanisms carefully put in place by Congress and needlessly adds uncertainty, subjectivity and onerous and costly new data collection and reporting requirements for federal contractors. 

During its Nov. 11 meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., the ABC Board of Directors elected Pamela Volm of president of Annapolis Contracting, Inc., Annapolis, Md., to serve as the association's 2015 national chairman. David Chapin of Willmar Electric Services in Lincoln, Neb., was elected to serve as ABC’s 2015 chairman-elect.  

After the votes were tallied on Tuesday night, the results revealed massive victories for Republicans at all levels and in every region of the country. With a handful of races still up for grabs, the GOP has wrested control of the U.S. Senate while boosting its House majority to the highest level seen since the Great Depression. At the state level, Republican governors eclipsed their 2010 high-water mark of 30 and helped to flip at least seven state legislative chambers putting them en route to full control of state governments in nearly half the country. While the GOP’s mandate is unclear, voters delivered a stinging rebuke of the president and his party, effectively rendering him

To assist employers in complying with new rules and regulations, OSHA released new wallet cards to serve as resources on the jobsite addressing the OSHA reporting requirements and hazard identification training. The resources can be found on OSHA’s publication page.

ABC member companies who have an employee who stands out as a team leader and the best in their trade can give them the recognition they deserve by nominating them for title of Craft Professional of the Year Award. Finalists will be flown to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony and the winner will walk away with a brand new 2015 Ram Tradesmen Truck.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Oct. 23 issued a directive for OSHA compliance personnel on how to enforce its 2010 standard for construction cranes and derricks. The directive, which covers jobsites where power-operated equipment covered by Subpart CC – Cranes and Derricks in Construction are present, provides guidance for OSHA inspectors on how to conduct site visits, interpret the rule, and decide when to issue citations.  

At ABC’s second annual Industrial Users Summit, merit shop contractors discussed issues regarding labor, safety, productivity and working with the client with some of the top industrial construction users in the country. 

Amanda Novak, the human resources manager for ABC member company The Tri-M Group, LLC, testified on behalf of the merit shop construction industry during a field hearing about what employers need from educators and state officials to fix the workforce issues we face. 

Does your company employ craft trainees and apprentices who excel in their trade?  Have you and your employees participated in a craft competition at your local ABC chapter? Our National Craft Championships is welcoming those who want to take their skills to the next level and showcase what they can do on a national stage. If you want your employees to show what your company is about –growing a skilled workforce and delivering the best work—then submit an intent to compete form and claim your spot in the 2015 National Craft Championships.