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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
On April 24, the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL) jointly published an “emergency” interim final rule, effective immediately, on how the wages for temporary non-agricultural H-2B workers should be calculated. The rule was issued in response to a federal district court decision in Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas et al v. Solis. Under the ruling, DOL was given 30 days to cease using its 2008 wage methodology, which used a four-tier wage system based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey. Under the interim final rule, the four-tier wage system is replaced with the average OES wage. It permits employers to use wages calculated under the Davis-Bacon Act, but does not require such wage rates unless the H-2B workers are working on a federal construction project. The rule also requires union signatories to pay the wage rates stipulated in their respective collective bargaining agreements—a provision that remains unchanged from previous rules. This rule differs from a 2011 final rule, which is currently blocked by a continuing appropriations resolution that will not fund it, because it does not contain the “at least the highest of” provision that required employers to pay the highest wage of the various wage options–which would have set wages well above the above market value and would have expanded the use of Davis-Bacon to non-federal work. In a set of frequently asked questions, DOL clarified the interim final rule “applies to all requests for H-2B prevailing wage determinations and Applications for Temporary Employment Certification adjudicated or processed on or after April 24, 2013, and H-2B work being performed on or after the effective date of the Wage Methodology IFR [interim final rule].” Employers who currently are paying H-2B workers based on the four-tier rates will be responsible for complying with the interim final rule for all work performed on or after the date the employer receives a supplemental determination from DOL. DOL and DHS are accepting comments on the revised wage methodology until June 10. In particular, the agencies are interested in feedback on: