On Jan. 13, ABC applauded the U.S. Supreme Court for reinstating the stay on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which applies to employers with 100 or more employees. On behalf of the construction industry, ABC filed one of the emergency appeals to the Supreme Court leading to this successful outcome. The Supreme Court remanded the case to the 6th Circuit, which will consider the merits of the case.
READ MORE
ABC has added Alabama Chapter member Tim Harrison of Harrison Construction Inc. to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
READ MORE
On Jan. 13, ABC applauded the U.S. Supreme Court for reinstating the stay on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which applies to employers with 100 or more employees. On behalf of the construction industry, ABC filed one of the emergency appeals to the Supreme Court leading to this successful outcome.
READ MORE
On Jan. 5, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a press release reminding certain employers that the administration began collecting calendar year 2021 Form 300A data on Jan. 2. The deadline to electronically submit the form is March 2.
READ MORE
As of this writing, the Supreme Court has not yet issued a decision on the appeal to reinstitute a stay of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which applies to employers with 100 or more employees.
READ MORE
ABC has added Wisconsin Chapter member Troy Carlson of Ansay & Associates LLC to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
READ MORE
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will be hosting a free virtual seminar on Executive Order 14026, Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors on Wednesday, Jan. 26, and Thursday, Jan. 27, at 1:30 p.m. ET. The training is the latest in WHD’s ongoing efforts to increase awareness and improve compliance with federal prevailing wage requirements among employers performing work on federally funded construction or services contracts.
READ MORE
Three different federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates issued under the Biden administration continue to be challenged in the courts. Read the important developments on the federal contractor, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccination mandates.
READ MORE
On Dec. 17, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the 5th Circuit’s stay of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which applies to employers with 100 or more employees.
READ MORE
On Dec. 15, the House and Senate passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, following negotiations to ensure passage of the bill before the end of the year. Notably, the NDAA agreement removed several harmful labor provisions opposed by ABC from the previous version of the bill passed only in the House.
READ MORE
On Dec. 10, the Biden administration released its Fall 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The agenda lists upcoming rulemakings and other regulatory actions from each agency that the administration expects to publish through the end of the year and into 2022. ABC has prepared a summary of the actions of interest to ABC members by agency.
READ MORE
Courts have blocked three different federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates issued under the Biden administration. Since the court orders staying the different federal mandates are at this time only preliminary, it is premature to say the threat posed by the federal mandates is past. It appears the mandates will be at a minimum delayed, but there will inevitably be appeals, perhaps up to the Supreme Court. There are also many private, state and local mandates that are not affected by these court rulings.
READ MORE
ABC’s New Hampshire/Vermont Chapter recently partnered with the New Hampshire Home Builders Association, ApprenticeshipNH and Manchester Community College to create a registered carpentry apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. The program is desperately needed to help address the shortage of carpenters in the state.
READ MORE
On Dec. 7, ABC applauded a Georgia federal court for granting a nationwide preliminary injunction order against the federal contractor vaccine mandate.
READ MORE
On Dec. 7, the House of Representatives passed a finalized version of the $768 billion National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 363 to 70. The compromise bill, negotiated by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, incorporates elements of the version that passed the House in September and legislation approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee in July.
READ MORE
The Accredited Quality Contractor program recognizes and honors construction firms that document their commitment to excellence in five key areas of corporate responsibility: quality; safety; craft and management education; talent management, including inclusion, diversity and equity; and community relations. A company that meets the criteria set forth in the program and has earned Gold, Platinum or Diamond status in ABC’s STEP Safety Management System is formally designated an Accredited Quality Contractor.
READ MORE
On Dec. 2, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration extended the period for submitting comments on its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings by 30 days, to Jan. 26, 2022. This will begin the process to consider a heat-specific workplace rule, which will affect contractors who work in extreme heat. The ANPRM was originally published in the Federal Register on Oct. 27.
READ MORE
ABC’s Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter recently expanded into Philadelphia by developing the Philadelphia Opportunity & Workforce Education Resource Initiative, which aims to reach “Every Philadelphian, from every neighborhood” and promote the pathways to becoming a construction craft professional. The POWER initiative will also create long-term growth opportunities for individuals, communities, ABC members and the city of Philadelphia.
READ MORE
Recently, courts have blocked three different federal vaccination mandates issued under the Biden administration. Read the important developments on the federal contractor, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccination mandates.
READ MORE
On Nov. 22, ABC filed comments with a coalition stakeholders to the Council on Environmental Quality in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking revising the implementing regulations of the National Environmental Policy Act. ABC filed these comments in support of a streamlined approach to the permitting process under NEPA to reduce delays hindering critical projects, resulting in better infrastructure, a stronger economy and continued environmental stewardship.
READ MORE
ABC has added Greater Houston Chapter member Brandon Mabile of Performance Contractors Inc. to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
READ MORE
On Nov. 22, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued its final rule implementing President Biden’s Executive Order 14026, Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors, which applies to all workers performing work on or in connection with covered federal contracts. The minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour beginning Jan, 30, 2022, superseding a scheduled increase to $11.25 that will occur on Jan. 1 under EO 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors.
READ MORE
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 2:11 PM |
ABC News,
Legislation,
Workforce Development,
GA-Workplace Safety,
GA-Energy & Environment,
GA-PLAs,
GA-Davis-Bacon,
GA - Union Organizing,
GA - Employment,
GA - Federal Procurement,
GA - Private-Public Partnerships,
GA-PLAs-Federal,
GA-PLAs-State & Local,
Ga-PLAs-Federal-Legislation
On Nov. 15, President Biden signed H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, into law at the White House. The IIJA authorizes nearly $550 billion in new federal money for infrastructure projects, while renewing approximately $1.2 trillion for existing programs that were set to expire.
READ MORE
On Nov. 16, via lottery, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit was chosen to hear challenges to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which applies to employers with 100 or more employees. This development follows the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s Nov. 12 stay order and OSHA’s announcement that it has suspended activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS pending future developments in the litigation..
READ MORE
The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force recently issued updated guidance on when covered contractor employees must be vaccinated, as well as new FAQS on vaccination and safety protocols and workplaces.
READ MORE
In a Nov. 9 press release, ABC and its Alabama chapter announced that they filed a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 11th Circuit against the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for its COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which applies to employers with 100 or more employees.
READ MORE
On Nov. 10, ABC’s Free Enterprise Alliance announced it has completed a $200,000 issue advocacy ad buy to educate the public on dangerous policies in the Democrats’ reconciliation bill and other legislation moving through Congress.
READ MORE
The ABC Keystone, Eastern Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania and Cumberland Valley chapters recently signed a statewide letter of agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to help formerly incarcerated citizens kickstart a career in construction.
READ MORE
On Nov. 5, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration requesting a 60-day extension for the public to submit feedback on its advance notice of proposed rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, which will begin the process to consider a heat-specific workplace rule. ABC also requested comment extensions as a member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition and Coalition for Workplace Safety.
READ MORE
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget has concluded its review of the OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard rulemaking, which will apply to employers with 100 or more employees as required by President Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 Action Plan.
READ MORE
On Oct. 28, as a reference for employers and employees, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shared its own internal religious accommodation request form with the public. The EEOC stated, “While the EEOC’s internal forms typically are not made public, the EEOC shared this resource given the extraordinary circumstances employers and employees face due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
READ MORE
On Nov. 1, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force posted new frequently asked questions for federal contractors, whose covered employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Dec. 8 unless the contractor is legally required to provide an accommodation for medical or religious reasons. The new FAQs cover vaccination and safety protocols, scope and applicability of task force guidance for federal contractors and compliance.
READ MORE
On Oct. 28, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Departments of Defense, General Services Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration to urge the agencies to clarify several aspects of the proposal and provided recommendations to reduce the burden and costs for federal contractors to comply with the Buy American Act.
READ MORE
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs announced it will hold a webinar titled “Construction Compliance Reviews” on Wednesday, Nov. 10, from 2-4 p.m. ET. This webinar comes after the OFCCP published the latest Corporate Scheduling Announcement List for construction contractors in September 2021.
READ MORE
ABC has developed a resource and guidance document for ABC chapters and members to learn about the latest updates and ABC actions on the new federal vaccination mandates. The document, which will be updated frequently, includes federal guidance, ABC advocacy letters, Newsline articles, press releases, ABC earned media coverage and more.
READ MORE
On Oct. 26, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it will be issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, which will begin the process to consider a heat-specific workplace rule. The ANPRM was officially published in the federal register on Oct. 27.
READ MORE
The construction industry continues to feel the strain of ongoing supply chain disruptions, ABC said in a letter to the U.S. House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Regulations, which held a hearing on global supply chains and small business trade challenges on Oct. 10.
READ MORE
On Oct. 20, ABC met with the Office of Management and Budget to express its concerns about the forthcoming U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which will apply to employers with 100 or more employees as required by President Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 Action Plan.
READ MORE
On Oct. 14, ABC joined more than 100 associations in a letter to leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives opposing a proposed tax information reporting requirement that would have an impact on many ABC contractors and nearly all small businesses in America with a bank account.
READ MORE
Of the nation’s top 10 specialty contractors, five are ABC members, according to Engineering News-Record’s recently published list of Top 600 Specialty Contractors. These successful contractors were ranked based on 2020 revenue.
READ MORE
On Oct. 12, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration sent a COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard rulemaking to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget for review, which will apply to employers with 100 or more employees as required by President Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 Action Plan. The review at OIRA is usually the final step in the process before a rule is officially published in the federal register.
READ MORE
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, construction occupations have the highest rate of suicide, as well as the highest number of suicides, across all occupational groups. To combat these statistics and spread awareness, Greg Sizemore, ABC’s vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development and chair of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, traveled to five ABC chapters across the country to speak about what ABC chapters and members can do to help those who may be struggling. He was also interviewed in various trade publications and news outlets, such as the Marietta Daily Journal, For Construction Pros and Workwear Guru.
READ MORE
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 1:21 PM |
ABC News,
Legislation,
Regulations,
GA-Workplace Safety,
GA-Energy & Environment,
GA-PLAs,
GA-Davis-Bacon,
GA - Union Organizing,
GA - Federal Procurement,
GA - Private-Public Partnerships,
GA-PLAs-Federal,
GA-PLAs-State & Local,
Ga-PLAs-Federal-Legislation
Congress passed a 30-day extension of the highway funding bill, just hours before surface transportation authorization lapsed. The extension came at the end of a weekslong negotiation and interparty disagreement on a trillion-dollar-plus budget reconciliation package and the bipartisan Senate-passed infrastructure bill, H.R.3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
READ MORE
On Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force posted new information for federal contactors, whose covered employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Dec. 8 unless the covered contractor is legally required to provide an accommodation for medical or religious reasons.
READ MORE
On Sept. 29, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued Memorandum GC 21-08 to all Field offices asserting that student-athletes receiving scholarships at private colleges and universities are employees under the National Labor Relations Act.
READ MORE
On Sept. 28, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published the Davis-Bacon Wage Determination Conformance Guide to assist construction contractors and other industry stakeholders in understanding the process of seeking a conformance under the DBA and Related Acts.
READ MORE
On Sept. 9, President Biden announced his Path Out of the Pandemic: COVID-19 Action Plan and signed Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors. As required by the EO, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force recently issued guidance on COVID-19 Workplace Safety: Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors. According to the guidance, covered employees must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8, unless the covered contractor is legally required to provide an accommodation for medical or religious reasons.
READ MORE
On Sept. 27, ABC, a steering committee member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition, sent a letter to James Frederick, acting assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, voicing concerns related to OSHA’s forthcoming COVID-19 vaccination and testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which will apply to employers with 100 or more employees as required by President Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 Action Plan.
READ MORE
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 12:59 PM |
ABC News
As part of an interagency Biden administration effort to protect workers from the hazards associated with extreme heat, indoors and out, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration announced the following actions in a Sept. 20 press release.
READ MORE