Newsline

DOL Issues Association Retirement Plans Final Rule

On July 31, the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration issued a final rule that would allow small and mid-sized businesses to band together and offer 401(k) plans to their employees through Association Retirement Plans. The final rule goes into effect Sept. 30, 2019. READ MORE

ABC Students Attend White House Pledge to America’s Workers Event

Two graduates of ABC Pelican Chapter's Baton Rouge Training Center and one from the ABC Heart of America apprenticeship program were in Washington last week to attend the one-year anniversary celebration of President Trump’s Pledge to America’s Workers at the White House. Last year, ABC pledged to educate and upskill at least 500,000 construction workers over the next five years during the kick-off event.

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ABC-Led Coalition Testifies in Opposition to the PRO Act

On July 25, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace testified before a House subcommittee on the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (H.R. 2474), which would jeopardize workers’ privacy, constitutional rights and freedoms if passed. This legislation currently has 186 Democrat cosponsors and is essentially a “union boss wish list,” as Ranking Member Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) described it in his opening statement.

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Rep. Foxx Reintroduces Highway Trust Fund Reform Act With Davis-Bacon Exemption

ABC supports the Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2019 (H.R. 3904), legislation introduced on July 24 by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) that would exempt federally funded or federally assisted Highway Trust Fund projects from federal Davis-Bacon requirements, known as prevailing wage. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that repealing Davis-Bacon would save the Federal Highway Administration more than $700 million a year.

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Controversial Multiemployer Pension Plan Bill Advances in Congress

On July 24, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act (H.R. 397) by a vote of 264-169 with 29 Republicans supporting the majority. Advocates argue the measure is needed to protect the pensions of 1.3 million workers in certain multiemployer pension plans and prevent the collapse of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, while critics maintain the legislation is a taxpayer-funded bailout of MEPPs and does little to address the fundamental structural flaws of MEPPs.

 

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SBA Raises Size Thresholds for Firms to Qualify as Small Businesses

On July 18, the U.S. Small Business Administration issued an interim final rule that will adjust monetary-based small business size standards for inflation to allow more small businesses to become eligible for the SBA’s loan and contracting programs.

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OSHA Offers Resources for Working in Dangerous Weather Conditions

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published several resources to protect workers from various hazards related to summertime weather, such as hot weather and hurricanes. READ MORE

New Hampshire Governor Vetoes Prevailing Wage Legislation

In a victory for ABC, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed legislation that would have imposed prevailing wage requirements on state projects for the first time since the law was repealed in 1985 on July 19.  READ MORE

ABC Supports Construction Career Opportunities for Veterans in Treatment Court Programs

Last week, Timothy Mongeau, ABC’s director of workforce development, spoke on the Workforce Development for Veterans Through Apprenticeship panel during the National Association of Drug Court Professionals All Rise 2019 conference, the world's largest conference on addiction, mental health and justice reform.  READ MORE

EEOC Opens Online Portal for Pay Data Collection

On July 15, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened the online portal for the collection of data on pay and hours worked (or Component 2 data) for calendar years 2017 and 2018. READ MORE