AGC of America and its co-plaintiffs challenging the National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB” or “Board”) joint-employer rule in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas were handed a big win on March 8. The judge in Chamber of Commerce v. NLRB vacated the rule – which was finalized in 2023 and scheduled to take effect March 11 – in its entirety. The judge also vacated the Board’s recission of a rule issued by the previous Board in 2020.
Construction employment increased in 37 states in January from a year earlier, while 33 states added construction jobs between December and January, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials noted that demand for construction remains strong in many parts of the country, but cautioned that labor shortages are restraining employment gains in the sector.
Rule Implementation on Hold Due to Litigation
Change can be difficult. Newly added guidance available from the AGC Contract Documents Forum helps members navigate change in design-build construction contracts and beyond.
On February 27, AGC of America, AGC of Missouri, MTech Mechanical and Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI) were recognized by Construction Working Minds (CWM) for efforts to promote mental health in the construction industry. These organizations demonstrated outstanding commitment to fostering supportive and mentally healthy work environments while enhancing overall productivity and success. To learn more about each organization and their efforts, click on the links below to be redirected to their respective award videos. Congratulations to all the winners!
On February 15 and 27, respectively, AGC along with its partners on the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC) met with representatives from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to further discuss the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) proposal to update its existing standards to better protect miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) proposal to expand who can serve as the employee representative during the walkaround portion of enforcement inspections. The review of the rules by OIRA signals the final step in the rulemaking process before each will be published in the Federal Register. AGC and its coalition partners used the meetings as an opportunity to reiterate concerns raised in our comments on both the MSHA silica rule and the OSHA worker walkaround rule, while also expressing concerns at the speed of which the rules are being promulgated. AGC will continue to track each rule as it moves through the process and provide updates as they occur.
Join us on March 6, 1PM – 2PM EST for the next quarterly town hall. The purpose of these meetings is to communicate key safety and health issues and challenges, as well as discuss enforcement, regulatory, and outreach activities at the national and local levels.