The New England district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is soliciting responses from the construction industry for a survey issued on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) on renovation and repair projects throughout six New England states. Those states include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Overall construction materials prices increased 0.4 percent in April and are up 1.5 percent year over year, according to the May 14 Producer Price Index released by the U.S. Department of Labor. Nonresidential construction material prices were up 0.5 percent for the month and are 1.4 percent higher than the same time last year.

A health care alert from Washington Council Ernst & Young regarding health care law provisions that impact employers is available for ABC members on ABC’s Employer Health Care Law Toolkit.

ABC members and chapter staff interested in participating in ABC’s 2014 Legislative Conference June 11 in Washington, D.C., have until Friday, May 16 to take advantage of the early bird registration rates and the discounted hotel price. By registering for the conference, attendees will have access to the Legislative Update Breakfast and a day on Capitol Hill meeting with members of Congress.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Tradesmen International, the construction industry’s premier source for craft professionals and labor-related services which will help contractors maximize productivity per dollar of labor. The agreement became effective May 1 during ABC’s 28th annual National Craft Championships in Birmingham, Ala., which Tradesmen International sponsored.  

The 2014 Craft Professional of the Year award was presented to Robert Stuart, superintendent at Stronghold Engineering in Menifee, Calif., May 2 during ABC’s National Craft Championships and Workforce Development Conference in Birmingham, Ala. The award recognizes Stuart’s work in the industry including his commitment to safety, training and the merit shop philosophy.

ABC recently joined more than 20 other groups involved in the design, construction, operations and management of the built environment to create the Alliance for a Resilient Tomorrow. The purpose of the alliance is to promote resilience, which is the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events.

ABC May 2 recognized the winners in its 2014 National Craft Championships competition, held at the association’s 21st Century Workforce Development Conference, April 29 – May 2, in Birmingham, Ala.