The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has announced that in the upcoming weeks, it will hold public listening sessions to gather views on the Part 541 white collar exemption regulations, often referred to as the “Overtime Rule.”

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council on August 22 issued a final rule adopting a December 2016 interim rule that implements Pres. Obama’s Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors executive order and the related September 2016 final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

AGC of America’s Union Contractors Committee will hold its next conference call on September 13 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. The agenda includes updates on recent developments in labor relations and government affairs of interest to union contractors as well as a roundtable discussion about developments around the country. Participation is free and open to all AGC-member union contractors and chapter staff, regardless of committee membership. (AGC nonmembers may not participate.)

On August 10, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced its plan to start scheduling focused reviews of federal contractors beginning in Fiscal Year 2019. Directive 2018-04 directs OFCCP staff to “work towards ensuring that a portion of future scheduling lists, starting with Fiscal Year 2019, include focused reviews as to each of the three authorities that OFCCP enforces.”

Early Bird Cutoff Date Extended One Week Only!

Apply for AGC’s Diversity & Inclusion Awards by October 15

On August 1, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) released a set of practical expectations for contractors when undergoing an audit or otherwise interacting with the agency. Under this new guidance, federal contractors will have opportunities to provide input on training and additional compliance assistance, see a response time of three-to-four business days on inquiries, and get feedback on ongoing investigations.

Collective bargaining negotiations settled from January through June 2018 resulted in an average first-year wage-and-benefits increase of 3.0 percent or $1.65, according to the Construction Labor Research Council’s (CLRC) latest – and redesigned – Settlements Report. While most first-year increases were in the 2.1-2.5 percent and 2.6-3.0 percent ranges, CLRC reported a “noticeable” percent of first-year increases of over 5 percent. For newly negotiated multi-year agreements, the average increase for both the second and the third year of the contract was 2.8 percent. The Insulators had the highest average first-year increase at 4 percent, while the Boilermakers had the lowest at 2.1 percent.

The U.S. Department of Labor has published a final rule rescinding the controversial “Persuader Rule” issued under Pres. Obama. This is a victory for AGC and others who opposed the regulation and urged the Trump administration to rescind it.

Early Bird Rates End August 14