Category: News Line

Watson Electrical Construction Co. LLC of Wilson, N.C., a member of ABC’s Carolinas Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.

The AQC program recognizes and honors construction firms that document their commitment to excellence in five key areas of corporate responsibility: quality, safety, employee benefits, training and community relations.  A company that meets the criteria set forth in the program and has earned Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) Gold, Platinum or Diamond status, is formally designated an “Accredited Quality Contractor.”

Companies selected as an Accredited Quality Contractor receive:

• Wide recognition within the industry and business community and with the public 
• Authorization to use AQC language in bid documents
• Permission to use the AQC logo on letterhead, business cards and jobsite signs
• Access to AQC marketing materials such as hard hat stickers, membership plaques, etc. 
• Points on ABC National Excellence in Construction ® award submissions
• Mention in the December issue of ABC’s magazine, Construction Executive, as well as eligibility to purchase specially priced packages for half-page, full-page and two-page designs

For more information, visit abc.org/aqc or contact aqc@abc.org 

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From a live interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo this morning to recent appearances on RT’s “Boom Bust,” Michael Bellaman has been a more frequent presence on cable news since workforce development and infrastructure rebuilding have risen on the national agenda.

Following executive orders issued by President Trump to expand apprenticeships and target delays and red tape in infrastructure permitting, ABC has ramped up its media outreach to heighten awareness of the challenges facing the merit shop construction industry today. ABC aims to play a significant role in expanding opportunities for members to win work and ensuring that the 86.1 percent of the construction workforce that chooses not to join a union can work on major infrastructure projects.

Bellaman appeared on Fox Business’s “Mornings with Maria” on Aug. 16 to discuss how President Trump’s order to improve the process for infrastructure permitting could combat unnecessary delays that raise costs while safeguarding the environment.
 
Earlier in the week, Bellaman explained the value of public-private partnerships (P3s)   in leveraging private investment to rebuild our infrastructure in a live “Boom Bust” interview. He was also featured in a segment on July 20 calling for a major investment in workforce development and new training approaches to address the urgent need to fill 500,000 construction jobs, which may balloon to more than a million once infrastructure rebuilding gets underway.

On Aug. 3, Bellaman published an op-ed in The Hill, an inside-the-Beltway must-read, calling for an all-of-the-above approach to skills training in the construction workforce.

Stay tuned and share these stories by following ABC on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 

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On Aug. 15, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at streamlining the environmental review, permitting and approval process of infrastructure projects.

The executive order, Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure, will make the environmental and permitting processes needed for major infrastructure projects more efficient and effective, and establishes a two-year goal to process environmental documents for major infrastructure projects, according to a White House fact sheet.

“President Trump’s executive order can go a long way towards eliminating unnecessary delays that cause budget overruns,” said ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman. “The principles of creating a coordinated, predictable and transparent process to streamline permitting will enable the industry to plan and execute even the most complex projects while safeguarding our communities, maintaining a healthy environment and being good stewards of public funds. The ‘lead agency’ concept is masterful—a sort of permitting concierge that will shepherd a project through the complex process—and should go a long way towards achieving these goals.”

 According to the White House fact sheet, a 2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, it takes seven years, on average, for a complex highway project to go through the entire environmental review process. And according to the National Association of Environmental Professionals, a single agency can take 3.7 to five years, on average, to complete an environmental review.

The order also revokes Executive Order 13690, signed on Jan. 30, 2015, Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input, which industry groups complained makes the government process of determining how to factor climate-change impacts into projects more complicated.

The order is part of President Trump’s effort to deliver on his campaign promise to modernize and rebuild America’s infrastructure.

The President’s 2018 budget proposal—which traditionally functions as a symbolic political wish list highlighting administration priorities—lays out $200 billion over 10 years in direct federal infrastructure spending.

According to a White House fact sheet included in the 2018 budget proposal, the “President’s target of $1 trillion in infrastructure investment will be funded through a combination of new federal funding, incentivized non-federal funding and newly prioritized and expedited projects.”

The White House is expected to rely heavily on public-private partnerships (P3s) to attract private capital to build new transformative projects, improve underutilized assets and create value by addressing project lifecycle costs, mitigating risks and delivering construction projects faster to market.

Congress is expected to produce legislation on infrastructure in late 2017 or early 2018, but President Trump has already signed a number of infrastructure and workforce development executive orders of interest to the construction community that will set the table for the forthcoming infrastructure legislation.

ABC CEO Mike Bellaman appeared on Fox Business Aug. 16 discussing the forthcoming infrastructure plan, and ABC is working with Congress and administration officials to help shape the plan.

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On Aug. 11, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in support of its proposal to rescind the 2016 persuader rule, officially named the “Interpretation of the ‘Advice’ Exemption in Section 203(c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.” Approximately 965 ABC members also submitted comments through voterVOICE and ABC’s Action App.

ABC has consistently opposed the persuader rulemaking since it was first proposed in 2011. On March 24, 2016, the previous administration issued the final persuader rule, and four days later, on March 30, ABC and a coalition of stakeholders filed a lawsuit challenging the rule in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. ABC’s lawsuit remains pending.

On Nov. 16, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a permanent injunction blocking the final rule. 

The 2016 persuader rule would have significantly broadened the reporting requirements of employers, attorneys, trade associations and other third-party advisors under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act by redefining what is meant by labor relations “advice.”

It also would have greatly limited the ability of employers, particularly small businesses, to obtain advice from labor relations experts, and in turn deprived employees of their right to obtain balanced information about union representation. 

Additional updates on the persuader rule will be provided in Newsline. 

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Wanzek Construction Inc. of West Fargo, N.D., a member of ABC’s Minnesota/North Dakota Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.

The AQC program recognizes and honors construction firms that document their commitment to excellence in five key areas of corporate responsibility: quality, safety, employee benefits, training and community relations.  A company that meets the criteria set forth in the program and has earned Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) Gold, Platinum or Diamond status is formally designated an “Accredited Quality Contractor.” 

Companies selected as an Accredited Quality Contractor receive:

• Wide recognition within the industry and business community and with the public 
• Authorization to use AQC language in bid documents
• Permission to use the AQC logo on letterhead, business cards and jobsite signs
• Access to AQC marketing materials such as hard hat stickers, membership plaques, etc. 
• Points on ABC National Excellence in Construction® award submissions
• Mention in the December issue of ABC’s magazine, Construction Executive, as well as eligibility to purchase specially priced packages for half-page, full-page and two-page designs

For more information, visit abc.org/aqc or contact aqc@abc.org.

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In anticipation of congressional action on tax reform this fall, ABC sent out a survey Aug. 15 asking members to weigh in on their top priorities in a tax reform bill. Members are encouraged to respond to the quick survey through the ABC Action Center, where their responses will be used to shape ABC’s message as it pushes for tax reform on Capitol Hill.

Before breaking for the August work period, leaders from the Trump administration, the House of Representatives, the Senate and the respective tax-writing committees released a joint statement signaling a commitment to moving on tax reform when Congress returns in September, with the goal of passing a bill by the end of the year.

While the current configuration in Washington, D.C., represents the best opportunity to reform the tax code in decades, the challenges are considerable. Between the political realities of the moment and procedural constraints of reconciliation, it is vital to prepare for the inevitable trade-offs of reform. Anticipating these tensions with a sense of relative importance will be crucial as ABC fights for a fairer, flatter tax code that treats businesses equitably regardless of size, structure, or sector.
Read more about ABC’s tax reform priorities here.

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Ten students pursuing craft professional training in the construction industry were awarded the second annual Build Your Future scholarships through ABC’s Trimmer Construction Education Foundation (TCEF). The scholarships are given to the top 10 students attending an NCCER-accredited program or a state/federally approved apprenticeship program in a merit-shop training facility. 

“The entire group of up-and-coming craft professionals who applied for BYF scholarships this year was impressive, said TCEF Chair Tony Stagliano. “They already show dedication to the construction industry and excitement about learning their craft, which is exactly what our industry needs at this time.” The NCCER sponsors 10 BYF scholarships of $2,000 each year.

The 2017 winners are:

Michael Bishop
ABC Illinois Chapter

Javier Crespo 
Rhode Island Construction Training Academy

Thomas Devine
ABC Northern Ohio Chapter

Sasha Johnson
Alfred State SUNY College of Technology

Colby Laidig
Florida Gateway College

Michael Rodriguez
ABC Illinois Chapter

Sam Schaffer
Orleans Technical College

Matt Thiel
Fox Valley Technical College

David VanHook
Ohio Valley Construction Educational Foundation

Jerry Zugier
Western Technical College

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A new whiteboard video helps members understand the value of ABC’s Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) and highlights how they could make their company 770% safer than the industry average. STEP is a safety benchmarking and improvement tool that dramatically improves safety performance among construction industry participants regardless of company size or type of work. 

 

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ABC is encouraging all members to take action  and submit comments to the Department of Labor (DOL) on its proposal  to rescind the “persuader” rule, officially named the “Interpretation of the ‘Advice’ Exemption in Section 203(c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.”

The final rule, had it gone into effect, would have had a profound, chilling effect on labor relations advice for employers, and in turn deprived employees of their right to obtain balanced information about union representation. ABC and its members have consistently opposed the rulemaking since it was first proposed in 2011.

On Nov. 16, 2016, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas permanently blocked the DOL’s persuader rule. ABC’s lawsuit against the final rule, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, remains pending.

ABC National will be filing comments by the August 4 deadline. Members can submit their concerns through the ABC Action Center or through the ABC Action App on either iPhone or Android devices.

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The Trump administration released its first regulatory agenda on July 20. The agenda lists the priorities of the Trump administration and the rulemakings they expect to release in 2017. Many of the items listed roll back rules released under the Obama administration. 

Department of Labor 
The Department of Labor removed many of the rules that were previously listed by the Obama Administration and they have taken the first step to removing others. The Department recently issued a Request For Information (RFI) on the overtime rule. This is likely the first step in issuing a revised proposed overtime exemption rule. The public has the opportunity to submit comments on the RFI until Sept. 25, 2017.

Additionally, the agency has issued a proposal to rescind the persuader rule, officially named the “Interpretation of the ‘Advice’ Exemption in Section 203(c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.” Comments on rescinding the persuader rule, which ABC and its members have opposed since it was first proposed in 2011, are due Aug. 11.

On the agenda for October is a proposal to reconsider, revise, or remove provisions of the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule. Other OSHA rules on the agenda include:

Finally, the department has listed a proposed rule entitled “Apprenticeship Programs, Labor Standards for Registration, Amendment of Regulations” for May 2018. This proposed rule is a result of Executive Order 13801, Expanding Apprenticeships in America.  This executive order expands apprenticeship past the government-defined definition to create a system for industry-recognized apprenticeship programs. The proposed rule would be the first step in creating regulations for this executive order.

Environmental Protection Agency:

Department of Transportation: 

FAA: Unmanned Aircraft Systems Expanded Operations – Proposed Rule, December 2017

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