On March 26, ABC, ABC’s Southeast Texas Chapter and the Coalition for Workforce Innovation filed suit against the U.S. Department of Labor regarding its delay and proposed withdrawal of the Trump DOL independent contractor final rule. The complaint alleges the Biden administration arbitrarily and without authority delayed the final rule from going into effect, depriving many contractors of clear and uniform guidance on the proper standard for compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act.
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ABC has added Massachusetts Chapter member Mark Roberts of A & M Construction Co., Inc. to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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On March 23, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was sworn in as secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor by Vice President Kamala Harris, becoming the first union member to serve in the role of secretary in nearly half a century. The Senate confirmed Walsh to serve as secretary in a 68-29 vote on March 22.
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ABC members are invited to provide input on Group A Codes at the International Code Council’s 2021 Committee Action Hearings, which will be held virtually from April 11 through May 5.
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On March 16, the Michigan State Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 8, which opposes the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, federal legislation that would strengthen union organizing rights and restrict the autonomy of workers and employers.
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ABC of California applauded the California State Assembly for the unanimous and bipartisan passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 23, which proclaims March 18, 2021 as Construction Suicide Prevention Awareness Day in California—raising awareness of an important health problem affecting the state’s construction industry. ABC of California supports ACR 23 and is currently working alongside its author, Assembly member Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton), to help change the conversation around suicide and suicide prevention.
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ABC has added Pelican Chapter member Wesley Littleton of 24Hr Safety, LLC to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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The 2021 Roadmap to World-class Safety is ready and our facilitators are prepared to present to your chapter, both in person and virtually.
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Steve Klessig, vice president of architecture and engineering, Keller Inc., Kaukauna, Wisconsin, took the reins as the 2021 ABC national chair at ABC’s March board of directors meeting in Grapevine, Texas, on March 9.
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On March 9, the U.S. House passed H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, by a vote of 225-206. Five Republicans joined Democrats in pushing this bill forward, while only one Democrat, Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), opposed the bill.
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On March 12, the U.S. Small Business Administration released new guidance that clarifies the Lobbying Disclosure Act definition of “lobbying” expenses and will be used to calculate the 15% thresholds for 501(c)(6) organizations receiving Paycheck Protection Program loans. Since December, ABC has advocated for the SBA to use the LDA in calculating lobbying activity and has continued to push the administration to release clear guidance on this critical issue for ABC and its chapters.
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On March 12, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) into law, including a controversial provision providing a Congressional Budget Office-estimated $86 billion taxpayer bailout of struggling multiemployer pension plans.
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At the ABC national convention, Tim Mongeau, director of workforce development, announced the pilot of the new online Workforce Development Management System. The WDMS is a simple yet comprehensive self-assessment to evaluate an organization’s current workforce development program to identify opportunities for enhancement and validate they’re on the right track.
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In accordance with Executive Order 13999, on March 12, the U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA issued its National Emphasis Program—Coronavirus Disease 2019, which focuses OSHA enforcement efforts on companies that put the largest number of workers at serious risk of contracting COVID-19. In addition, the program prioritizes employers that retaliate against workers for complaints about unsafe or unhealthy conditions, or for exercising other rights protected by federal law.
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From March 7-13, ABC celebrated Women in Construction Week to raise awareness of the growing role of women in the construction industry and encourage women to consider a career in construction. ABC demonstrated the success of women in the industry through social media posts, letters to the editor and op-eds published in various media outlets.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2021 9:11 AM |
ABC News
On March 12, ABC joined a coalition of construction, housing and real estate organizations in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to address price increases of lumber in the United States over the past year.
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Monday, March 15, 2021 2:55 PM |
ABC News
All ABC contractor members will receive the monthly Construction Backlog Indicator/Construction Confidence Survey in their inboxes on Monday, March 22. Please encourage your members to respond and help us understand the market forces that are shaping the construction outlook for the coming months.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021 2:55 PM |
ABC News
Today, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division announced proposals to rescind the Trump DOL joint employer and independent contractor final rules. The public has until April 12 to comment on both proposals.
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On March 10, House Democrats approved the $1.9 trillion spending package under budget reconciliation in a 220-211 vote, handing President Biden his first major legislative win in the new administration.
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On March 5, ABC and a coalition of 14 industry and employer groups sent a letter to President Biden raising concerns about the expansion of policies encouraging or mandating project labor agreements on federal and federally assisted construction projects.
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ABC has added Central Florida Chapter member Roy Burkett of S. I. Goldman Company Inc. to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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According to findings of an ABC membership survey published on March 3, 2021, ABC members overwhelmingly support repeal or reform of the federal Davis-Bacon Act and related state and local prevailing wage laws that increase costs and reduce competition from qualified contractors on taxpayer-funded construction projects.
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The Unionstats.com website was recently updated with the latest state-specific union membership data based on the January release of the U.S. Bureau of Statistics’ 2020 nationwide data on unionization rates.
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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has issued an amended Corporate Scheduling Announcement List for fiscal year 2020, which will help explain the requirements federal contractors need to follow to stay compliant as they work on federal and federally assisted projects.
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On March 2, ABC, as a member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition’s steering committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James “Jim” Frederick that outlined recommendations that OSHA should consider as it deliberates the need for an emergency temporary standard on COVID-19. President Biden’s recent Executive Order 13999 on Protecting Worker Health and Safety directed OSHA to consider whether an ETS is warranted to address COVID-19 in the workplace.
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021 12:05 PM |
ABC News
On March 2, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced a final rule that delays the Trump administration’s DOL independent contractor final rule’s effective date from March 8 to May 7, 2021. On Feb. 24, ABC submitted comments in opposition to the DOL’s proposal to delay the effective date because the final rule provides urgently needed clarification of the independent contractor standard applicable under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
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On March 2, ABC joined dozens of members of the Unlock American Investment Coalition in calling on Congress to improve and modernize the federal permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act.
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On Feb. 25, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration issued updated guidance for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, expanding eligibility for workers who may be able to participate.
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ABC has added Wisconsin Chapter member Jay Zahn of R & R Insurance Services Inc. to the Beam Club Hall of Fame Level.
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On Feb. 24, ABC submitted comments in opposition to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division proposal to delay the effective date of the Trump DOL’s final independent contractor rule from March 8 to May 7.
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On Feb. 17, President Biden rescinded the Trump Administration’s Executive Order 13801, which promoted industry-recognized apprenticeship programs, and expressed his support for the House-passed and ABC-opposed National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. ABC is working with lawmakers to reconsider these rulemakings and to advocate for an all-of-the-above workforce development strategy.
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On Feb. 24, ABC submitted a letter for the record to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for its hearing, “Building Back Better: Investing in Transportation While Addressing Climate Change, Improving Equity and Fostering Economic Growth and Innovation,” to urge the committee to consider policies that will increase competition, reduce costly and ineffective regulations and address the construction industry’s skilled worker shortage.
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In a concerning development for the merit shop contracting community and hardworking taxpayers, the U.S. Department of Transportation is encouraging the use of government-mandated project labor agreements on federally assisted construction projects funded through a grant program administered by the DOT’s Build America Bureau.
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ABC has added Wisconsin Chapter member Brian Wieser of Wieser Brothers General Contractors Inc. to the Beam Club Hall of Fame Level.
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Thursday, February 18, 2021 10:59 AM |
ABC News
ABC PAC is now accepting 2021 prior authorizations. The purpose of ABC PAC is to work within the federal election process to further the goals of ABC by advocating for core issues.
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On Jan. 29, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace,” which provides updated guidance and recommendations for employers and outlines existing safety and health standards. OSHA states, “The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.” ABC’s general counsel, Littler Mendelson P.C., also published an article that discusses OSHA’s new COVID-19 guidance.
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On Feb. 17, President Joe Biden nominated Jennifer Abruzzo as the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, the independent federal agency vested with the power to “safeguard employees' rights to organize and to determine whether to have unions as their bargaining representative.”
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On Feb. 16, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Small Business Administration on an interim final rule reopening the Paycheck Protection Program for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers and extending the program through March 31, 2021.
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On Feb. 11, ABC, as a member of the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage (P4ESC) sent letters to President Joe Biden and Congress outlining policy principles and priorities important to ensuring employment-based health coverage continues to thrive for millions of hardworking Americans and their families.
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ABC has added Wisconsin Chapter member Greg Jones of Dave Jones, Inc. to the Beam Club Presidential level.
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ABC has added Virginia Chapter member Matt Wilson of Morgan Marrow Co. to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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On Feb. 4, ABC submitted a letter for the record to the U.S. House Committee on Small Business for its hearing, “State of the Small Business Economy in the Era of COVID-19,” to provides insight on the state of small construction businesses and the construction industry as a whole, nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
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On Feb. 4, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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In a Feb. 4 letter to President Joe Biden, ABC expressed concerns about the “expansion of existing policies that needlessly limit competition and increase costs on taxpayer-funded federal and federally assisted construction projects.”
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On Jan. 29, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced the immediate end of its Payroll Audit Independent Determination Program, a nationwide program that assists employers in expediting the resolution of inadvertent overtime and minimum wage violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
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The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has implemented provisions of President Biden's Executive Order on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel and will require the wearing of masks by all travelers into, within or out of the United States, e.g., on airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares.
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On Feb 2, the U.S. Senate confirmed Pete Buttigieg to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation by a vote of 86-13. Secretary Buttigieg will be tasked with advancing President Joe Biden’s agenda in the Transportation Department, where he will oversee 55,000 employees. Secretary Buttigieg is expected to play an important role in promoting Biden’s sweeping environmental initiatives, and support the president’s push for an infrastructure plan.
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ABC has added Florida East Coast Chapter member Brett Atkinson of Moss to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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On Feb. 1, ABC joined 41 trade associations in urging Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Charlotte A. Burrows to quickly issue guidance clarifying the extent to which employers may offer employees incentives to vaccinate without running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws enforced by the EEOC.
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Employers covered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordkeeping rule are required to post their 2020 OSHA Form 300A work-related injury and illness log summaries in an area where notices to employees are typically posted from Feb. 1 through April 30. The form must be posted in a visible spot at each covered establishment.
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