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The fiscal year 2018 budget (FY 2018) proposal shows new priorities for the Trump Administration, with the Federal Education and Training Programs taking the brunt of the proposed budget cuts. The Department of Labor’s budget (DOL) includes a 20% reduction in funding from the FY 2017 enacted level, and large job training reductions and employment service accounts represent some of the largest cuts. Funding for state grants for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) have received a 40% cut, and funding for apprenticeship grants have received a 5% reduction. WIOA overwhelmingly passed Congress in 2014, so it is unlikely that Congress will allow the proposed cuts.

The AGC Labor and Employment Law Council (LELC) held its 33rd Annual Construction Labor Law Symposium May 12, 2017, in Washington, DC. Attorneys and chapter labor relations managers from across the country gathered to learn about labor and employment law developments and their significance for construction employers.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requested and was granted another delay to file a brief on behalf of the Department of Labor (DOL) in its federal court appeal on the Nov. 2016 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime regulation. The DOJ now has until June 30, 2017, to file its response.

Registration is now open for the 2017 Construction HR and Training Professionals Conference and pre-conference Strategic Management Workshop to be held October 11-13, 2017, in Phoenix, AZ.

On April 28, 2017, Rene Alexander “Alex” Acosta was sworn in as the nation’s 27th U.S. Secretary of Labor. The Senate confirmed him the day before by a bipartisan final vote of 60-38. Eight Democrats and one independent joined the Republicans voting in favor of the appointment.

On March 25, 2017, in Banner Health Systems v NLRB, the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit refused to enforce an order of the National Labor Relations Board's (Board) finding that an employer violated Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (Act) by maintaining “a categorical policy of asking employees not to discuss certain kinds of human resources investigations.”

Need a vendor? Reach thousands of suppliers and service providers in one place: AGC's official purchasing directory, Constructor Marketplace. This site places you in contact with vendors from more than 50 categories -- everything from acoustical and drywall to windows -- quickly, so you can get the materials or the help you need to get the job done right. Use Constructor Marketplace's free Request for Proposal (RFP) Automator to request custom project bids from multiple Marketplace vendors with just a few clicks.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced that the 2017 annual Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark is 6.9 percent. The new benchmark is a slight decrease from last year’s 6.9 percent benchmark and became effective on March 31. It reflects the national percentage of veterans in the civilian labor force for 2017 as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Thanks in part to AGC’s advocacy efforts, contractors are enjoying a major victory today: permanent nullification of regulations implementing Pres. Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, often referred to as the “blacklisting” rule. On March 27, Pres. Trump signed into law a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) by which Congress expressed disapproval of the rule and stripped it of all force and effect.

Company revenue size is the most relevant demographic factor in determining how a construction company pays its executives as compared to other construction companies, reports PAS, Inc. in its latest Contractor Compensation Quarterly (CCQ). When it comes to open-shop craft compensation in infrastructure construction, though, location and type of construction are most relevant.