ABC encourages its members to develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitability through the utilization of technology. Get the latest information about construction technology and ways it can improve your business at these upcoming events.
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On June 4, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed ABC chapters and members at ABC Legislative Day 2021 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The governor was introduced by Tim Keating, ABC’s immediate past chair of the board.
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Of the nation's top 25 construction companies, 20 are ABC members, according to Engineering News-Record's recently published annual list of the Top 400 Contractors. These successful contractors were ranked based on 2020 revenue.
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On May 27, ABC wrote to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Martin Walsh to share the exceptional results of the 2021 Workforce Development Survey. ABC hopes this outreach will encourage Secretary Walsh to work with ABC to advance the interests of the entire construction industry.
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ABC is pleased the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued long-awaited guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations as it relates to the workplace. On Feb. 1, ABC joined 41 trade associations in urging the EEOC to quickly issue guidance clarifying the extent to which employers may offer employees incentives to vaccinate without violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws enforced by the EEOC.
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ABC is pleased that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has re-evaluated its frequently asked questions related to COVID-19 vaccinations, announcing it will not enforce the requirement for employers to record worker side effects from COVID-19 vaccination through May 2022.
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Applications are now being accepted for ABC's Accredited Quality Contractor credential, the only ABC program that recognizes companies based on quality, safety, education talent management and diversity and community relations.
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In a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, ABC expressed concerns about Treasury’s guidance on $350 billion worth of federal funding for state and local fiscal recovery allocated in the American Rescue Plan and the encouragement of project labor agreements on federally assisted water, sewer and broadband projects.
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Wednesday, May 19, 2021 2:15 PM |
ABC News,
Politics & Policy,
State/Local News,
Legislation,
Regulations,
GA-PLAs,
GA-PLAs-Federal,
GA-PLAs-State & Local,
Ga-PLAs-Federal-Legislation
The Biden administration and U.S. Department of Treasury have taken another unfortunate step promoting controversial, anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements, local hire and Davis-Bacon/prevailing wage policies on federally assisted taxpayer-funded construction projects.
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On May 14, the Coalition for Workforce Innovation, ABC, ABC Southeast Texas Chapter and the Financial Services Institute filed an amended complaint challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s unlawful withdrawal of the independent contractor rule. The Department’s hasty and unjustified action violates the Administrative Procedure Act, compounding a violation that began when the department improperly delayed the effective date of the rule in March.
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On May 10, ABC, as a steering committee member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition, wrote to U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urging it to review and revise its recently issued Frequently Asked Questions on whether employers must record adverse reactions caused by COVID-19 vaccinations that are required and/or recommended by employers.
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Because coronavirus vaccine distribution is accelerating, the expectation is that worldwide demand for steel, aluminum, oil and other productive inputs will surge later in 2021. The result could be substantial upward pressure on construction input prices.
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On May 4, ABC sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) raising concerns about provisions in the Clean Energy for America Act that would expand new government-registered apprenticeship program requirements and Davis-Bacon prevailing wage regulations onto the construction of projects receiving clean energy tax incentives. ABC is troubled by provisions in the legislation that will needlessly increase construction costs and reduce competition from qualified companies and their skilled employees who participate in the construction of the clean energy marketplace.
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On May 5, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the withdrawal—effective May 6—of the Trump-era independent contractor final rule. While expected, this action is extremely disappointing. ABC strongly supported the Trump DOL final rule, which would have clarified the department’s interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act and promoted certainty for employers, independent contractors and employees.
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Wednesday, May 5, 2021 12:25 PM |
ABC News,
Legislation,
Workforce Development,
GA-Energy & Environment,
GA-PLAs,
GA-Davis-Bacon,
GA - Workforce Training,
GA-PLAs-Federal,
Ga-PLAs-Federal-Legislation
On May 5, ABC and a coalition of 16 industry and employer groups sent a letter to President Joe Biden raising concerns about the administration’s direct expansion and support of legislative policies encouraging or requiring controversial government-mandated project labor agreements on federal and federally assisted construction projects.
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Thanks to a $1 million grant that just passed the Tennessee General Assembly, ABC’s Greater Tennessee Chapter will operate educational programs to provide advanced craft skills in HVAC, masonry, electrical, and carpentry in a new 15,000-square-foot facility with classroom and lab space. The grant will enable ABC to serve an additional 250 students a year in its four-year adult program.
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In an unfortunate but expected turn of events, Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law New Jersey’s most recent anti-merit shop project labor agreement-favoring legislation, S-3414/A-5378, which requires government-mandated project labor agreements to apply to all public construction contracts over $5 million in the state. ABC and the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey spoke out in opposition to the legislation.
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On April 27, President Joe Biden issued an executive order increasing the minimum wage for federal contractors, which would require federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage to workers working on or in connection with a federal government contract.
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Wednesday, April 28, 2021 2:05 PM |
ABC News
From supporting the Protecting the Right to Organize Act to rolling back Trump-era regulatory actions, the Biden administration got off to a fast start delivering on its election-year promises to unions. ABC has mobilized to protect merit shop construction and provide members with status and updates on key policy actions.
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On April 27, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration sent a draft OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget for review. The review at OIRA is usually the final step in the process before a rule is officially published, which could take up to two weeks. At this time, neither OIRA nor DOL have made the content of the ETS public, but ABC has requested a meeting with OIRA to discuss its concerns with an OSHA COVID-19 ETS.
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On April 26, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that establishes the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. ABC is concerned that the Biden administration is promoting policies that undermine workers’ choice whether to freely join a union, such as government-mandated project labor agreements.
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On June 14, ABC will be hosting a virtual Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Summit, which will explore the complexity of IDE in today’s world and evaluate its historical journey and sustainable future in the construction industry. Learn more and register today!
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ABC Legislative Day gives members the opportunity to learn about the issues that affect merit shop construction contractors and showcase their contributions to the industry and the economy. Plan to attend and network with ABC’s most engaged members, hear from esteemed speakers and learn the ins and outs of grassroots lobbying. Register today!
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Join ABC leaders, legal and regulatory experts and government officials on Thursday, June 24, as they share the latest developments in labor and employment law and their impact on merit shop contractors. Registration closes June 22.
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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division launched its Essential Workers – Essential Protections initiative to provide resources and offer information on common issues that employers and employees face during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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On April 14, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.), reintroduced the Building U.S. Infrastructure Through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act, which would modernize the outdated National Environmental Policy Act) to make infrastructure project reviews more efficient, reduce project costs, spur economic recovery and rebuild America. The BUILDER Act has been reintroduced as a leading priority of ABC and Congressional Republicans as negotiations continue on Capitol Hill on forming significant infrastructure legislation.
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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently posted new Frequently Asked Questions on recording illnesses caused by required and recommended COVID-19 vaccinations.
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All ABC contractor members received the monthly Construction Backlog Indicator/Construction Confidence Survey in their inboxes on Tuesday, April 20. Please encourage your members to respond to this monthly survey to help us understand the market forces that are shaping the construction outlook for the coming months.
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ABC has added Massachusetts Chapter member Karl Hudson of L. C. Anderson, Inc. to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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Wednesday, April 14, 2021 3:04 PM |
ABC News,
Politics & Policy,
Legislation,
GA-PLAs,
GA-Davis-Bacon,
GA - Federal Procurement,
GA-PLAs-Federal,
Ga-PLAs-Federal-Legislation,
Prevailing Wage ,
GA-Infrastructure
On April 14, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hosted a “Members’ Day Hearing” to seek recommendations on the policy priorities of members of the U.S. House of Representatives as they begin to consider legislation to reauthorize surface transportation legislation, which expires at the end of September.
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On April 12, ABC submitted comments in opposition to proposals from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to rescind the Trump-era independent contractor and joint employer final rules.
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ABC has launched a COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit as part of the Coronavirus Update webpage to help inform and educate members about the latest available resources and information on the COVID-19 vaccine.
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ABC has added Nevada Chapter member Mike Dillon of Dillon Health to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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ABC has signed on to the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation’s call to defeat hate and restore inclusion and respect.
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection will open on Monday, April 26, 2021, and the deadline for filing this data will be Monday, July 19, 2021.
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ABC has added Florida Gulf Coast Chapter member Nick Krarup of Coastal Construction to the Beam Club Presidential Level.
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On March 30, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs updated its Annual Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act Benchmark Database to reflect a new hiring benchmark of 5.6%, which is effective March 31.
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Wednesday, March 31, 2021 1:17 PM |
ABC News,
Politics & Policy,
Legislation,
Regulations,
Workforce Development,
GA-Energy & Environment,
GA-PLAs,
GA-Davis-Bacon,
GA - Employment,
GA - Tax Relief & Fiscal Policy,
GA - Federal Procurement,
Prevailing Wage ,
GA-Infrastructure
On March 31, the Biden administration released a more than $2 trillion infrastructure outline titled the “American Jobs Plan.” While the plan calls for federal spending over the next eight years to improve the nation’s infrastructure, including for transportation, broadband, energy, and drinking water, it also includes funding for schools and child-care facilities, affordable housing, workforce development and manufacturing.
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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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