Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas and Provo-Orem, Utah Have Largest 12-Month Gains; While Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. Has Lost the Most Total Jobs and Has the Fastest Rate of Annual Decline
On this episode of ConstructorCast, two of the nation鈥檚 leading construction economists, Michael Guckes of ConstructConnect and AGC's own Ken Simonson will discuss where the economy is headed, construction categories they think will do particularly well, and share their insights on top issues including supply chains and inventories, finding qualified workers, and materials costs.
Special Collective Bargaining Seminar Offered for Union Contractors
Before the National Labor Relations Board鈥檚 (鈥淏oard鈥 of 鈥淣LRB鈥) December 13 decision in Thryv, Inc., the Board鈥檚 traditional make-whole remedy for employee losses suffered as a result of an employer鈥檚 unfair labor practice was generally limited to back wages and/or reinstatement of employment. Following the decision, employers may be required to pay for a broader range of damages.
On December 12, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the availability of 64,716 H-2B visas for the entirety fiscal year 2023.
AGC recently submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division鈥檚 (WHD) proposed rule to establish a new test for determining who is an independent contractor versus an employee under the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). When the proposal is finalized, it would rescind a Trump administration final rule clarifying the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the FLSA. AGC opposes the creation of this new standard for independent contractor classification and urged the DOL to withdraw this proposed rule.
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have published a notice of initial guidance providing taxpayers some information on how to satisfy the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for enhanced tax benefits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Expansion Would Threaten Traditional Subcontracting Relationships
ConsensusDocs and JAMS share common dispute mitigation and resolution goals and bring together a talented group of neutrals to contribute to better and more efficient construction contracting. ConsensusDocs (a family of standard form construction contracts promulgated by 40+ participating construction industry associations) provides form contracts that foster open communication pathways among the parties, a balanced allocation of risks, and avoidance or early mitigation of disputes. JAMS (a leading provider of arbitration, mediation, and related dispute resolution services through a select panel of distinguished neutrals) shares common goals with ConsensusDocs in promoting efficient and cost-effective resolution of the disputes that arise on construction projects 鈥 when they are unable to be avoided. Recognizing these shared interests, ConsensusDocs forms specifically identify JAMS mediation and arbitration among the types of alternative dispute mitigation and resolution offered.