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On Jan. 26, the National Labor Relations Board announced an extension for the public to submit responses related to its Request for Information on the 2014 “ambush” election final rule, also known as Representation-Case Procedures. The deadline for submitting information has been extended from Feb. 12 to March 19, 2018. 

The not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in December, down 1.5 percent from December 2016 and the lowest December rate on record, according to an analysis released by ABC of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Estimated construction unemployment rates were down in 46 states on a year-over-year basis, unchanged in one (Idaho) and up in three states (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).

President Trump delivered his first State of the Union Speech on Jan. 30, calling America “a nation of builders.” ABC responded to the key components of the president’s address that focused on rebuilding America’s infrastructure, developing an effective workforce in the United States, the success of tax reform, and the need to fix our broken immigration system while continuing to grow a strong economy with limitless opportunities for all Americans.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has completed its mailing of the 2017 EEO-1 survey notification letters, according to a Jan. 24 press release issued by the agency. The annual survey requires all private employers with 100 or more employees and federal government contractors or first-tier subcontractors with 50 or more employees and a contract/subcontract of $50,000 or more to file the EEO-1 report. 

The U.S. economy grew by 2.3 percent in 2017, while fixed investment increased at an annual rate of 7.9 percent, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

On Jan. 22, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published new procedures for processing H-2B visa applications following this year’s significant increase in labor certification bids. Due to the spike in applications filed on Jan. 1, 2018, the DOL Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification will now process these applications in order of the time of day they were received to “better reflect the sequential order in which employers filed applications.”

ABC and a coalition of construction and business associations sent President Trump a letter urging him to eliminate government-mandated project labor agreements on federal and federally assisted projects, allowing all qualified contractors and Americans to fairly compete to build and work on these taxpayer-funded projects.

On Jan. 22, President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill (H.R.195) to end the government shutdown and fund government operations through Feb. 8. Included in the bill was a suspension for 2019 of the health insurance tax (HIT) on providers included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

Construction Executive magazine, published by ABC, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with the launch of its new and improved website, ConstructionExec.com, and a new digital newsletter, CE This Week. Readers can now access a variety of articles posted daily that pertain to all facets of the construction industry: safety, insurance, technology, surety bonding, regulatory, craft training, leadership, fleet management, business development, economic trends and more.

ABC is reminding its contractor member firms that their 2017 Occupational Safety and Health Administration Form 300A work-related injury and illness log summaries must be posted in a visible spot on all construction sites Feb. 1 through April 30.

On Jan. 12, President Trump announced his intent to nominate John F. Ring to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board. Ring is a partner at the law firm of Morgan Lewis & Bockius and co-leader of the firm’s labor/management relations practice. If confirmed, Ring will reinstate a Republican majority on the board; the current board is deadlocked at 2-2, following former Chairman Phil Miscimarra’s departure in December.

U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta delivered the keynote address at the Associated Builders and Contractors of West Virginia (ABCWV) 22nd Annual Winter Meeting at the Greenbrier Resort and Hotel, Jan. 11-14. “We were certainly excited to hear from the secretary on matters critical to the growth and development of West Virginia’s labor force,” said ABCWV President & CEO Bryan Hoylman.

The Clean Power Plan proposed and finalized during the Obama administration would increase electricity costs by $40.5 billion while reducing the GDP by an average of $59 billion each year, cutting more than 375,000 jobs by 2030, ABC told the Environmental Protection Agency on Jan. 16. ABC submitted comments in support of the agency’s proposed rule to repeal the 2015 rule.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced that covered employers can now electronically report their calendar year 2017 Form 300A data through OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA). Covered establishments are required to submit the information by July 1, 2018. Learn which establishments are covered by this requirement and need to provide their 2017 data through OSHA’s ITA.

Standard Constructors Inc. of Houston, a member of ABC’s Greater Houston Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC. The AQC program recognizes and honors construction firms that document their commitment to excellence in five key areas of corporate responsibility: quality, safety, employee benefits, training and community relations.

Overall construction input prices declined 0.1 percent in December, yet despite the lack of inflation for the month, prices are up 5 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of  Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today.  Nonresidential construction materials prices also declined 0.1 percent for the month and are up 4.8 percent from the same time one year ago. 

ABC launched its ‘Building America’ Campaign in June 2017. In the lead-up to Legislative Week, ABC worked with Washington, D.C.-based news radio powerhouse WTOP to help tell the organization's story to Congress, the administration and federal agencies.

On Jan. 8, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Neilsen announced the termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador. The designation, which was granted after two destructive earthquakes in 2001, will terminate in 18 months on Sept. 9, 2019. Last year, the Trump administration announced it is terminating TPS designations for Haitians on July 22, 2019, and for Nicaraguans on Jan. 5, 2019.

During live appearances on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Jan. 8 and Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.” Jan. 5, ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman told viewers that while the construction industry is booming, the challenge going forward is finding skilled labor, especially if Congress passes a wide-ranging, trillion dollar bill meant to address the country’s aging infrastructure.

On Jan. 5, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register on the expansion of Association Health Plans (AHPs). According to a DOL press release, the proposed rule would increase access for small businesses to offer employment-based health insurance through AHPs and give access to 11 million small business employees/sole proprietors and their families who do not have employer-sponsored insurance. 

Effective Jan. 2, the U.S. Department of Labor increased civil monetary penalties for violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and regulations. According to the OSHA website, the maximum penalty for other-than-serious, serious and failure to abate violations is now $12,934, and the maximum penalty for willful or repeat violations is $129,336.

George R. Nash Jr., director of preconstruction for Branch & Associates in Herndon, Va., began his one-year term as chair of ABC on Jan. 1, 2018. He leads the 21,000-plus member association’s executive committee and board of directors, guides its national initiatives and serves as its spokesperson.

The nonresidential construction sector added 11,800 net new jobs in December, representing nearly 10 percent of the nation’s jobs created during the month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nation’s overall construction sector added 30,000 net new jobs in December, a 0.4 percent month-over-month increase.

F.L. Crane & Sons Inc. of Fulton, Miss., a member of ABC’s Mississippi Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC. The AQC program recognizes and honors construction firms that document their commitment to excellence in five key areas of corporate responsibility: quality, safety, employee benefits, training and community relations.

Nonresidential construction spending expanded 0.6 percent in November, totaling $719.2 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the month-over-month expansion, nonresidential spending fell 1.3 percent from November 2016.