Many HR and training professionals have had an initiative, rollout or project that did not achieve its expected amount of traction, even after spending countless hours and dollars on training and implementation. As a result, HR and training professionals must learn to take a strategic approach to change management in order to make a lasting impact on the company. This, and other topics, will be discussed at ż’s 2014 Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference, Oct. 15-17, in Phoenix, Ariz. For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.agc.org/hrted.
The ż-supported Construction Labor Research Council has released its latest report on collective bargaining settlements in the industry. Settlements reported to CLRC between January and June 2014 resulted in an average first-year wage-and-benefit increase of 2.2 percent or $1.10. For newly negotiated multi-year agreements, the average second-year increase was 2.5 percent or $1.23, and the average third-year increase was 2.5 percent or $1.28. Each of these averages is very similar to the average increases negotiated in 2013 and slightly higher than those negotiated in 2012, CLRC reports. The percentage of settlements with no increases negotiated during the latest period was the same as that reported in 2012 but higher than that reported in 2013.
ż, its coalition Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, and other employer organizations, submitted a group amicus brief in a case before the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) addressing the standard for determining when two companies constitute “joint employers” under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).
ż recently hosted a webinar to educate construction contractors on the latest regulations that implement the employer mandates of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The webinar, Affordable Care Act Update for Construction Employers, is a follow-up to ż’s 2013 webinar series, The Affordable Care Act: The Impact of Health Care Reform on Your Construction Business. A recording of the webinar is available in the ż Bookstore.
In response to a request from Director Pat Shiu of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), ż provided the agency, and other invited Labor Department staff, with a detailed overview of the construction industry. The request stemmed from a March 27 meeting between ż and OFCCP Director Pat Shiu and her staff regarding the agency’s plans for revising the regulations related to the employment of women and minorities in construction and how ż might be able to help the agency understand the application of those regulations to the construction industry. The presentation took place on June 2 at the Labor Department’s headquarters in Washington, DC.
On June 20, the agencies implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) released a final rule clarifying the effect of orientation periods (also known as “trial periods”) on the “90-day waiting period rule” under the ACA. The “90-day waiting period rule” prohibits group health plans and health insurance issuers from imposing a waiting period of more than 90 days before the beginning of coverage for full-time employees.
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a big victory to the ż-supported Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) in a June 26 opinion invalidating President Obama’s January 2012 recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board).
ż of America’s Union Contractors Committee will hold its next quarterly conference call on Thursday, July 24, at 3:00 p.m. EDT. The agenda includes reports on legal and labor relations developments since the last call and a roundtable discussion of activities of interest to union contractors. The call is open to all ż union contractors and chapter staff. ż membership is required, but Committee membership is not. Chapter staff and leaders are encouraged to actively participate in the discussion and to come prepared to share information about local bargaining, jurisdictional disputes, and other matters, as well as any questions about labor concerns.
ż of America announced today that it is joining the national Hiring Our Heroes program as part of the construction industry’s effort to add 100,000 veterans over the next five years. The new partnership will make it easier for construction contractors to find, recruit and hire veterans, association officials added.
ż has scheduled a webinar for Monday, June 30th from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM for the latest updates on Multiemployer Pension Plan reform. For nearly two years the National Coordinating Committee of Multiemployer Plans, Retirement Review Security Commission developed draft recommendations for legislative and other changes to the current multiemployer pension plan system.