The Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multiemployer Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans (JSC) is working on a legislative framework for addressing the multiemployer pension crisis. The committee has concluded its scheduled public hearings and submissions for public stakeholder input ended earlier this week. The committee has spent considerable time focusing on the solvency of large distressed plans and the financial solvency of the Pension Benefit Corporation. However, the committee has spent less time examining the impact on reform changes to healthy plans or creating a framework for a future, sustainable retirement plans in the future, such as the composite plans.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) has announced that it is planning to revisit the standard for determining whether and when contract language can convert an 8(f) collective bargaining relationship to a 9(a) relationship in the construction industry, and it is inviting interested parties to submit amicus briefs. AGC of America is considering plans to submit a brief. The deadline for submission is Oct. 26, 2018.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a new digital platform, Apprenticeship.gov. This innovative web portal features an Apprenticeship Finder tool that offers career seekers a platform to search for apprenticeships by city, state, and occupation, as well as connects job seekers to high-skilled, high-paying careers.
Following up on promises made in its “Town Hall Action Plan”, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently launched its new Contracting Officer Corner. The website is intended to be a one-stop-shop of resources for both federal agency contracting officials and federal contractors.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced the creation of the Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI), a cross-agency effort coordinated by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy. DOL said that OCI will “promote greater understanding of federal labor laws and regulations, allowing job creators to prevent violations and protect Americans' wages, workplace safety and health, retirement security, and other rights and benefits.” OCI also “will work with enforcement agencies to refine their metrics to ensure the efficacy of the [DOL's] compliance assistance activities.”
Eighty percent of construction firms report they are having a hard time filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released today by Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Association officials said shortages pose a significant risk to future economic growth.
On August 31, 2018, President Trump signed an executive order designed to make it easier for smaller businesses to band together and offer retirement plans to employees. The order directs the Departments of Labor (DOL) and Treasury to propose regulations that allow unrelated businesses to offer what the order calls association retirement plans (ARPs) by relaxing the requirement that small business have a common interest to form what’s commonly known as a multiple employer plan, or MEP. The idea is similar to association health plans (AHPs), which received a regulatory boost when, in June, the Department of Labor finalized a rule to make it easier for small businesses to join groups or associations to offer insured health coverage in the large group market at potentially more favorable pricing with less restrictive requirements.
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced new directives, including new procedures for reviewing contractor compensation practices and a program to verify that contractors are in compliance with federal affirmative action program (AAP) requirements. These new directives are part of the Department’s efforts to maximize the effectiveness of compliance assistance outreach.
Union contractors may not rely on contributions to typical vacation or welfare plans as a basis for claiming the temporary exclusion to the federal contractor paid sick leave rule, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has informed AGC. WHD provided the information to AGC in response to questions posed by AGC on behalf of questioning members. It supports AGC’s prior urgings that all union contractors working on federal projects should act promptly to come into compliance with the rule’s mandates.
The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is announcing a minimum wage increase of $0.25 to $10.60 per hour to be paid to workers performing work on direct federal contracts and subcontracts covered by Executive Order 13658. Federally assisted contracts are not affected. The rate goes into effect on January 1, 2019.