Browse by Date - 202301

The most used ConsensusDocs standard contract document is the ConsensusDocs 751 Standard Short Form Subcontract. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), through its Contract Documents Forum, has just released comments to this popularly used standard subcontract document.

Union membership in the U.S. construction industry across all occupations declined slightly in 2022, from 12.6 percent to 11.7 percent, according to an annual report recently issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”). Union representation in the industry also declined, from 13.6 percent to 12.4 percent. Still, union membership in construction remains considerably higher than the 6.0 percent rate across industries in the private sector.

President Biden ended 2022 with a bang by signing two new pieces of legislation into law that will impact many employers and their pregnant and breastfeeding workers:  (1) the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and (2) the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act).  These changes were part of the Omnibus Spending Bill signed into law on December 29, 2022. Employers should become familiar with the changes and review their policies and practices to adjust for the new laws.

AGC of America will be holding a Collective Bargaining Seminar during the AGC Annual Convention. The day-long seminar will take place from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.  The seminar is part of AGC’s Annual Convention, but AGC members and chapter staff not attending the convention may attend for a separate registration fee.

According to the latest Contractor Compensation Quarterly (CCQ) published by PAS, Inc., construction support staff wages are to rise by an average 4.5%. The prediction is based on data gathered from over 209 companies in the 19th edition of PAS’s Construction Support Staff Salary Survey.

On Jan. 18, the Associated General Contractors of America joined a coalition representing a broad cross-section of the economy in filing a lawsuit to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers’ new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. The legal action seeks to have the new rule put on hold and ultimately reversed. The construction industry invests a significant amount of time and cost in compliance with the Clean Water Act and to avoid or reduce potential impacts on the environment.

In a decision issued on Dec. 16, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board reinstated its prior standard providing off-duty workers employed by contractors more expansive rights to access publicly accessible areas of the workplace for the purpose of engaging in union organizing activity.

New guidance instructs federal agencies to develop implementation rules that would quantify greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and incorporate the social cost of carbon in cost/benefit analysis that could impact permits for construction projects.