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Politics & Policy
ABC’s September Regulatory Roundup—Learn About the Latest Developments Affecting the Construction Industry
ABC Disappointed in NLRB’s Cemex Decision
NLRB Revives Controversial 2014 ‘Ambush’ Election Rule; ABC Opposes Again
Safety
Build Health and Safety Engagement Through Leadership Commitment and Metrics Tied to Leading Indicators
Is Your PPE and Mobile Equipment as Safe as You Think It Is?
President Biden Announces Heat Safety Actions, Including DOL Hazard Alert
Events/Products/Programs
Nearly 350 ABC Leaders Gather in Washington for Annual Legislative Conference
ABC Members Rank Among ENR’s Top 400 Contractors
Trades Day: Industry Outreach Opportunity With Meaning
State/Local News
Ed Capodanno Honored by Delaware State Legislature
Election Update: ABC Staff and Members Elected in 2022
California Targets Workplace Cannabis Testing
Awards
Graham Roofing Earns the AQC Credential in September
ABC's Construction Executive Magazine Wins Silver in Publishing Competition
Legislation
ABC-Supported Legislation To Overturn the Northern Long-Eared Bat’s Endangered Species Listing Heads to President Biden’s Desk
ABC Advocates for Solutions to Workforce Shortage at U.S. House Committee Roundtable
Smucker Introduces the ABC-Supported Main Street Tax Certainty Act
Regulations
OSHA Announces Silica-Focused Inspection Initiative in the Engineered Stone Fabrication and Installation Industries
Take the Survey: Input Needed by Oct. 2 on President Biden’s IRA Mandates
Take the Survey: ABC Needs Your Input on President Biden’s IRA Mandates by Oct. 2
Workforce Development
Register Now for ABC’s Construction Inclusion Week Webinar Series
DOL High Road Workforce Development Program Map Snubs Nonunion Programs
LISTEN: How to Design an Effective Technology Adoption Strategy
An Idaho appeals court May 22 sent a lawsuit related to project labor agreements (PLAs) and job targeting back to a district court in order to allow the union groups who filed the lawsuit to add defendants and to give both sides a chance to revise arguments. The original lawsuit was filed against two statutes that affect merit shop contractors. The first was to prohibit public entities from requiring contractors to sign PLAs as a condition of performing work on Idaho public works projects. The second Idaho law prohibited organized labor from using union market recovery funds in Idaho on either public or private construction projects. A decision was issued in December 2011 by a district court striking down both statutes. In the appeal, oral arguments were made May 6 by ABC Inland Pacific Chapter and the State of Idaho. A representative from the Idaho attorney general’s office argued the lower court’s ruling should be overturned and the Inland Pacific’s attorney argued that ABC should be allowed to intervene in the case. ABC also filed amicus briefs in support of the State. In addition, both attorneys argued that the complaint against the PLA reform statute is now moot because Idaho enacted a second government neutrality statute in 2012 addressing the concerns raised by the district court judge in the December 2011 opinion. The appeals court remanded the decision to a lower court because of the second government neutrality statute issued. Sixteen states have enacted laws and executive orders that prohibit public entities from requiring contractors to sign PLAs as a condition of performing work on public construction projects. In addition to the Idaho suit, local affiliates of the International Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO filed federal complaints in response to PLA reform statutes or executive orders in Iowa, Michigan and Louisiana. In 2011, the Iowa complaint was thrown out by a federal district court judge on its merits before trial. In Michigan, a district court judge ruled in favor of the union complaint and the state’s appeal will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in June. The complaint in Louisiana was filed in 2013 and is now in the pre-trial phase. For more information about government-mandated PLAs, visit www.thetruthaboutplas.com, Facebook.com/thetruthaboutplas and Twitter.com/truthaboutplas.