During the Careers in Construction Awards Ceremony March 6, ABC recognized Holley Thomas, a foreman for KBR, Houston, Texas, as its 2015 Craft Professional of the Year and Jonathan Sacks, transmission and distribution training manager for Cianbro, Pittsfield, Maine, as its 2015 Craft Instructor of the Year. The awards were presented during ABC’s Workforce Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 

An updated summary of employer requirements included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is available for ABC members in a reference document provided by Washington Council Ernst & Young. The document is available on the Health Care Law Employer Toolkit (login required) on ABC’s website.

ABC congratulated the winners in its 2015 National Craft Championships competition during the March 6 Careers in Constructions awards held during the association’s Workforce Development, March 3-6, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

A joint resolution to halt the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) controversial ambush election rule passed the U.S. Senate March 4 by a vote of (53-46) after being introduced by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), ABC supported the bill, and sent a letter to each Senator urging its passage and informing them that ABC would consider the vote as a key vote on its 114th Congressional Scorecard.

The Trimmer Construction Education Foundation (TCEF) re-launched its auction and now you can bid on some of the top items from your phone. The funds go to TCEF, a non-profit, charitable organization that funds efforts to train and retain the construction industry workforce through grants, scholarships and financially supporting annual ABC competitions and awards. Auction items include golf packages, beach vacations, Texas-style BBQ, cases of wine and much more. 

ABC’s Regulatory Alert provides an overview of federally mandated rules, regulations and enforcement actions from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies. Following are brief summaries of current issues, as well as links to more detailed information and guidance. 

Lawmakers in a number of states have made reforming outdated prevailing wage laws a major priority so far in 2015. In the past month, legislators in West Virginia, Nevada and Indiana have advanced legislation that attempts to narrow the types of construction projects affected by prevailing wage, and in some cases, to remove the law entirely. 

In conjunction with 17 other employer organizations, ABC sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging them to issue a two-year delay until 2018 of the expansion of the small group market definition in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Under the ACA, the small group market definition is expanded to include employers with 51-100 employees, which is effective in 2016.  

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is soliciting comments from the federal construction community about the potential requirement of a project labor agreement on the Edwards Air Force Base project in California and for large-scale federal construction contracts in South Carolina.

As an ABC member, you’re invited to enroll in the FedEx Advantage® program for free and save money on your shipping and earn rewards for your loyalty with FedEx. The program offers discounts up to 29 percent on FedEx® services and My FedEx Rewards gives you the chance to earn gift cards and brand-name merchandise when you ship.