A group of Congressmen Feb. 9 wrote a joint resolution Feb. 9 that would stop the implementation of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ambush election rule. The resolution was introduced by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), with the support of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Sen. Alexander is chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Rep. Kline is chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education.

During his first State of the State address on Feb. 2, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) called for reforms related to project labor agreements (PLAs) and prevailing wage requirements that will help empower Illinois residents and drive economic growth.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued two surveys soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) for projects in New Jersey and California.

Nonresidential construction spending grew 0.4 percent on a monthly basis in Dec. 2014, according to the Feb. 2 release from the U.S. Census Bureau. Spending for the month totaled $627.1 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, 5.9 percent higher than Dec. 2013. The government also upwardly revised November’s spending estimate from $617 billion to $624.8 billion and October’s figure from $623 billion to $627.4 billion. “Despite the slight expansion indicated in today’s report, nonresidential construction lost some of its momentum during the final two months of 2014; however, this should represent only a minor dip in the indu

Suffolk Construction Company, Inc., West Palm Beach, Fla., member of the ABC Florida East Coast Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.

The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a request for information seeking a common definition for Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs). The goal is to create a broadly accepted definition of ZEB boundaries and metrics to create a standard that regulators and the private entities can agree upon. 

The votes are in and the four finalists for the 2015 Craft Instructor of the Year Award have been announced. The finalists will join ABC at the Workforce Conference March 3-6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where they will be interviewed and narrowed down to one winner. The winning instructor will be announced during the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony and will walk away with a $10,000 cash prize.

The National Craft Championships (NCC) is seeking judges for the 2015 competition which will be held March 3-6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. If you or someone you know has demonstrated experience in one of the crafts represented in the competition, lend your time and talents to help name the winning craft apprentices and trainees at the 2015 NCC.