Associated Builders & Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America American Road & Transportation Builders Association and four peer groups plan to join eight state affiliates petitioning the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for review of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s final rule on crystalline silica exposure. Released in late March, it sets a threshold of 50-micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an eight-hour shift, compared to a longstanding 250-microgram level for the construction industry.
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ORGANIZATIONS – APRIL 2016
The Concrete Industry Management Program’s National Steering Committee grossed more than $925,000 at its annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete 2016. “[It] surpassed our highest gross proceeds total ever,” affirms Auction Committee Chairman Mike Philipps (Cemex USA). “We had a record in terms of the value of donated items and attendees that helped make this year’s event a tremendous success.”
Read MoreTreasury Department: Construction industry shoulders top tax rate
Source: Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.
A U.S. Department of the Treasury analysis confirms that a typical construction company faces an average effective federal tax burden of 30.3 percent against the 23.3 percent average for all U.S. businesses. The industry likewise pays the highest effective tax rate—the percent of income businesses actually pay in taxes—of any sector of the economy.
Read MoreContractor-led coalition sues Labor Department over union-biased ‘persuader rule’
Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), Washington, D.C.; CP staff
A lawsuit ABC and other national or state groups have filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas challenges the U.S. Department of Labor’s final “persuader rule,” issued late last month. Officially titled Interpretation of the “Advice” Exemption, it revises the definition of what activities constitute “advice” and expands circumstances under which public reporting is required under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959.
Read MoreExpanded joint employer definition clouds contractor, subcontractor ties
Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors, National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C.; National Labor Relations Board; CP staff
Against precedent dating to 1984, a 3-2 NLRB majority redefines “joint employer” in a decision favoring an International Brotherhood of Teamsters local aiming to extend representation from a recycling station bargaining unit—equipment operators and companion staff employed by the facility’s owner—to a subcontractor whose employees perform waste sorting and related services.
Read MoreAgencies issue proposed rule, guidance on contractor ‘Blacklisting’ EO
The federal agencies charged with implementing President Obama’s July 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order have released their much-anticipated proposed rule on this directive. The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a 106-page proposed guidance document, and the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), issued a 131-page proposed rule, governing the terms of the so-called “Blacklisting” Executive Order (EO).
Report links BIM adoption to increased jobsite safety, crew member focus
Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.; McGraw Hill Construction, New York
Thanks to increased use of Building Information Modeling technology, contractors are finding ways reduce overall schedules and onsite injuries, according to “Safety Management in the Construction Industry.” When incorporated in a project, the new McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Report finds, BIM helps increase crew members’ safety awareness by:
Read MoreFederal contractor ‘blacklisting’ rule winds through White House, agencies
Sources: Littler Mendelson P.C., San Francisco; Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
The Department of Labor has submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a proposed rule supporting President Obama’s July 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order (E.O.), provisions in which can bar participation in federal projects if contractors or their subcontractors have violated labor laws in the past three years.
Read MoreMerit shop contractors, business interests stare down ‘ambush’ election catalysts
Sources: Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, Associated Builders & Contractors, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, representing a wide range of business groups—National Precast Concrete Association, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Portland Cement Association and American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association among them—will challenge the NLRB Representation-Case Procedures rule in federal courts, arguing the agency’s action “paves the way for unfair and illegal ‘ambush’ elections.”
Read MoreAssociated Builders office carries early Green Globes certification
Associated Builders & Contractors’ 19,300-sq.-ft. national headquarters in Washington, D.C., is one of the first buildings to be certified under Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors, a program available to owners or individual commercial space tenants from the Green Building Initiative (GBI), Portland, Ore.
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