Newsline

ABC has made some changes to its meeting schedule in an effort to provide more value for attendees. The Meetings Transformation Taskforce set goals to provide more affordable accommodations, keep registration costs in check and reduce the number of meetings overall for next year and moving forward.

The ABC-led Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC) testified in front of OSHA March 24 on a proposed rule that would drastically lower the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of respirable crystalline silica for the construction industry.

ABC is looking for members to help judge the 2014 National Craft Championships on May 1 in Birmingham, Ala. Members with demonstrated expertise in a craft who are interested in participating should submit a judge’s form to [email protected] indicating one of the craft competitions they would like to judge by April 11.

ABC’s annual Workforce Development Conference is bringing construction professionals education, networking and careers in construction April 29-May 2 in Birmingham, Ala. Choose from more than 40 educational sessions, keynote speakers and our many networking receptions to increase your professional development.

The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced March 19 a new piece of their Fall Prevention Campaign to raise awareness about the hazards of falls among employers and employees in construction. The national safety “stand-down” encourages employers to take time between June 2-6, 2014 to discuss fall prevention, ladder, scaffolding and roof safety and more and will recognize employers that participate with a personalized certificate.

With education sessions and networking receptions, there's something for everyone at the 2014 Workforce Development ConferenceApril 29-May 2 in Birmingham, Ala. Construction owners; mid to upper management; project managers and supervisors; safety and risk professionals; and ABC Chapter staff can pick and choose from concurrent sessions covering a variety of industry topics and network with industry leaders. In addition, attendees can watch more than 180 craft trainees compete in the National Craft Championships. 

Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO (BCTD) President Sean McGarvey declared March 10 during an address to the BCTD 2014 Legislative Conference intent to increase their involvement in the oil, gas and petro-chemical industries, particularly in the Gulf Coast region.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)  two recently finalized rules go into effect March 24, 2014. The rules drastically alter federal contractors’ existing affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations with respect to veterans and individuals with disabilities.

ABC has officially launched its National Young Professional Program, which provides ABC member company employees under the age of 40 additional benefits and ways to increase their involvement within the association. By participating in the program, ABC’s young leaders have the opportunity to build relationships, expand their skills and advance their careers while continuing to promote open competition and the merit shop philosophy.

On March 10, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) co-published two documents on the use of employment background checks:  Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know andBackground Checks: What Job Applicants and Employees Should Know.  

The 2013 Year in Review uses ABC’s value proposition to take a look back at what ABC accomplished throughout the last year to support its goals, including political victories, safety and productivity initiatives and community involvement.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and CNA March 19 announced that during their third year as strategic partners, the groups will collaborate on driving the construction industry toward world class safety by targeting specific safety issues each quarter. Their outreach and education efforts will include webinars and CNA safety resources for ABC members to use to promote workplace safety industry-wide.

On March 10, the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final rules on information reporting by applicable large employers on health insurance coverage offered under employer-sponsored plans and information reporting of minimum essential coverage. The final regulations relate to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer and insurer information reporting requirements under Internal Revenue Code sections 6055 and 6056.

More than 900 ABC members joined ABC in submitting comments to OSHA requesting it withdraw a proposed rule that would require employers to electronically submit detailed injury and illness records to the agency that would be made available to the public through an online database.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed two ABC-supported regulatory reform bills with bipartisan support. The Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act (H.R. 2804) passed the House on Feb. 27 by a vote of 236-179 and the Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development” (RAPID) Act (H.R. 2641) passed the House on March 6 by a vote of 229-179.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is requesting comments from the construction industry in response to the potential use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLA) on two projects covering Mississippi, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

ABC and the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) signed a joint resolution March 7, expressing a commitment to promoting fair and open competition on taxpayer-funded construction contracts. The resolution formalizes a long-standing partnership between the organizations who will remain focused on providing value to taxpayers and opportunities for the contracting community by battling government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) March 6 issued a final rule on the Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category.  Under the final rule, which goes into effect May 5, EPA dropped the numeric discharge limit for turbidity in stormwater and implemented best practice management to prevent erosion at construction sites.

Under the proposal, OSHA would require establishments (worksites) with 20 or more employees at any time in the previous calendar year in construction and other high-hazard industries to submit their injury and illness records (Forms 300, 300A and 301) annually. The proposal also would require quarterly submission for establishments with 250 or more employees at any time in the previous calendar year.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) March 4 signed legislation which says that government entities within the state cannot require contractors to sign a project labor agreement (PLA), or any other agreement with labor unions, as a condition of performing work on taxpayer-funded construction projects in the state. This bill marks Alabama as the 19th state to adopt PLA reform.

ABC reaffirmed its strong opposition to the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) reissued “ambush election” proposal in a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce ahead of this morning’s full committee hearing. The hearing, titled “Culture of Union Favoritism: The Return of the NLRB’s Ambush Election Rule,” and ABC’s letter focused on NLRB’s shift under the Obama Administration from a neutral arbiter of federal labor law to an advocate of union organizing.