AGC has launched a new website to provide its members with a comprehensive resource on government mandated project labor agreements (PLA).  Included on the website is AGC’s position on PLAs, a library of every letter AGC has sent to the Administration, the Congress and the Federal agencies, as well as additional resources on what impact PLAs have on the construction industry.

Last week, AGC and other transportation stakeholders participated in a conference call with Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif), who provided an update on the next extension of the current highway authorization and the steps towards reauthorization.

After releasing a memo instructing federal agencies to submit 2013 budget requests that are between 5 and 10 percent lower than current appropriation funding levels, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) wrote a blog on August 18 to provide clarification.

In an opinion-editorial in the Washington Post on Sunday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) wrote that repeal of the 3 percent withholding mandate would be part of the Republican Party’s legislative agenda this fall to remove obstacles to economic growth.  Cantor wrote that 3 percent withholding “serves as an effective tax increase on those who do business with the government.” 

AGC is again attacking agency efforts to use Project Labor Agreements on federal construction projects.  This week AGC sent two more letters questioning the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) potential use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on upcoming construction projects. These letters are the latest of AGC’s continuing successful efforts to educate government agencies about PLA issues and implications:  

The White House announced that President Obama plans to deliver a speech after Labor Day aimed at jump-starting the economy.  The speech will outline two different goals.  The first would produce jobs and increase economic growth. The second would guide the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction on ways to reduce the federal deficit. 

A memo released on Aug. 17 by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Jacob Lew could lead to more cuts to federal construction accounts in the coming years.  The memo directed all federal agencies to plan a 2013 budget that is at least 5 percent below their current spending level, and to identify additional savings to bring their 2013 budget requests to at least 10 percent below FY 2011 appropriation levels.

With the Congressional August recess in full swing, AGC urges its members and chapters to contact their Senators and Representatives to ask that they cosponsor legislation to repeal the 3 percent withholding mandate.

Join the effort by sending a letter before Monday, August 22. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a proposal to amend union representation election procedures to allow for quicker elections, ultimately making it easier for unions to organize the employees of open shop contractors or to shore up relationships with union contractors that have prehire agreements. 

Last week, President Obama signed into law a bill to extend Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization through Sept. 16, ending a two-week partial shutdown. The Senate – though it went into a month-long summer recess after Tuesday's vote to clear a debt-ceiling bill – held a "pro forma" session to approve the House passed extension legislation by unanimous consent.