On Feb. 24, ذكذكتسئµ CEO Steve Sandherr, along with other national business leaders, spoke at a press briefing on the need to streamline the environmental review process for projects that require federal approval in order to unlock American investment in modern, efficient infrastructure while advancing good environmental stewardship. On Feb. 25, ذكذكتسئµ presented the same message at the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) public hearing on proposed regulations out for public comment that would update the rules implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
On Feb. 26, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed H.R. 5912, the Expedited Delivery of Airport Infrastructure Act of 2020. This ذكذكتسئµ-supported legislation would ensure that Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds can be used to provide incentive payments to contractors for early completion of eligible projects. Early completion incentives allow owners to identify projects that provide significant public benefits that would be enhanced if the project were completed earlier. Rather than the owner agency establishing unrealistic completion dates, which could discourage some contractors from bidding on those projects, incentive payments allow contractors to determine how best to earn the incentive. ذكذكتسئµ applauds the committee for passage of this measure and will continue to support its movement through the legislative process.
There’s still a short time left to register for ذكذكتسئµ of America’s upcoming Collective Bargaining Seminar. The half-day seminar will take place in the morning of March 9 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The seminar is part of ذكذكتسئµâ€™s Annual Convention, but ذكذكتسئµ members and chapter staff not attending the convention may also attend.
ذكذكتسئµ of America on Feb. 4 released a white paper titled The PRO Act: What Union Contractors Need to Know. The PRO Act is a bill that would make vast, transformational changes to labor laws and upsets the delicate balance of rights and restrictions established over decades by the NLRB, courts, and Congress. While the union-favoring legislation presents obvious concerns for open-shop contractors, union contractors may not realize the detrimental impact it could have on them.
March 11, 2020, at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Construction-industry collective bargaining negotiations completed in 2019 resulted in an average first-year increase in wages and fringe benefits of $1.67 or 2.9 percent, according to the annual year-end Settlements Report issued by the ذكذكتسئµ-supported Construction Labor Research Council (“CLRCâ€).
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced the release of its new technical assistance guide created specifically for construction contractors. OFCCP intends for construction contractors to use the technical assistance guide as a self-assessment tool to review the practices they have in place to eliminate discrimination and achieve their equal employment opportunity goals.
On Jan. 31, 2020, The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. This new version contains minor changes to the form and its instructions. Employers should begin using this updated form as of Jan. 31, 2020.
OFCCP recently announced the release of its new Contractor Compliance Institute (CCI), an on-demand learning management system designed to help federal contract holders meet their equal employment opportunity obligations.
On Feb. 19, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced the award of $520 million in airport infrastructure grants to 287 airports as part of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The AIP grant program awards billions of dollars each year for the planning and development of public-use airports across the country. As part of the ذكذكتسئµ-supported fiscal year 2020 funding bill, the program received $3.75 billion in federal funding, $400M more than is authorized by the FAA Reauthorization Act. ذكذكتسئµ applauds the Secretary’s announcement and will continue to support investment in our nation’s airport infrastructure.