During a controversial budget session, Wisconsin significantly reformed its prevailing wage laws with the help of the ABC Wisconsin Chapter which organized a coalition of local chambers of commerce, school districts, small businesses, and municipal utilities to repeal prevailing wage requirements on all Wisconsin public works projects except those built by the state of Wisconsin and state highway projects. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have issued two surveys soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of project labor agreements (PLA) on projects in Missouri and Texas.

United Group Services, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a member of ABC’s Ohio Valley chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.  

President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, known as the “blacklisting” EO, was signed July 31, 2014. A proposed rulemaking issued May 28, by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council and proposed guidance by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implementing the blacklisting EO is open for public comment until July 27.

In front of a sold-out crowd of more than 41,000 people, the 2015 National Craft Champions stood on the Washington Nationals field July 3 and were honored for their hard work as trained craftsmen. The crowd cheered them on while the ABC logo spread across the stadium, showcasing the theme of the night—free enterprise and freedom.

At the direction of President Obama, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed rule on June 30, that would change federal overtime exemptions for administrative, executive, professional, and computer professional employees—the so-called "white collar" worker classifications that have long been exempt from being paid time-and-one-half for working hours over 40 per week.  

More than 400 ABC members came to Capitol Hill June 23-26 for ABC's 2015 Legislative Conference. The week kicked off with the first annual Diversity & Inclusion Summit, which featured a lively discussion about supplier diversity within the construction industry. The event also included a Legislative Breakfast, which featured a panel discussion on key issues facing the industry and a day on the Hill where ABC members had the chance to meet with their representatives in the House and the Senate.

Associated Builders and Contractors of West Virginia (ABCWV) voiced its concerns over the newly presented methodology for the calculation of prevailing wage rates in West Virginia after Workforce West Virginia released a summary of its report on June 1. The report, a product of prevailing wage reform legislation (S.B. 361) signed  March 12 by West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D), illustrates how new methodology will determine  forthcoming prevailing wage rates on state-funded public improvements.  However, because Workforce West Virginia failed to publish its new prevailing wage calculations by the July 1 deadline because lawmakers complained t

ABC launched two new discount programs July 1 that are available to both ABC members and their employees. The programs include discounts with AutoZone and a new portal, ABC Marketplace, which provides discounts on everyday purchases with more than 20,000 retailers.

What's your best strategy or tool for delivering construction projects on, or under, budget? Send your 200-word response to Construction Executive to be featured in the magazine's September Viewpoints Q&A section or on ConstructionExec.com.