More than 100 industry leaders and key stakeholders came together for the fourth annual Diversity & Inclusion Summit to discuss the value of diversity in construction and promote the association's mission within diverse groups during ABC Legislative Week 2018. They engaged in thought-provoking discussions and learned from solution-based recommendations to help ABC members build diverse workplaces and supplier networks.

Prices for inputs to construction fell 0.5 percent in August but are 8.1 percent higher than at the same time one year ago, according to an ABC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Nonresidential construction input prices fell 0.4 percent in August but are up 8.3 percent year-over-year. Softwood lumber prices plummeted 9.6 percent in August yet are up 5 percent on a yearly basis (down from a 19.5 percent increase year-over-year in July).

With Hurricane Florence approaching the East Coast, OSHA is reminding contractors of resources to help keep construction workers safe during natural disasters. Hurricane season peaks in September, and wildfires are still burning throughout the Pacific Northwest and from California to Colorado. OSHA urges employers to be prepared to keep their workers safe during extreme weather events. The agency’s Emergency Preparedness and Response webpage provides information on protecting workers before and after hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters strike. 

The U.S. construction industry added 23,000 net new jobs in August, an increase from the 18,000 net new jobs added in July, according to an ABC analysis of data supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry has added 297,000 net new jobs since August 2017, a 4.3 percent increase. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 9,600 net jobs in August, although the heavy and civil engineering category lost 200 net jobs for the month.

On Aug. 30, the U.S. Department of Labor launched apprenticeship.gov, a digital platform designed to bring together workers in search of apprenticeship programs and the employers offering these opportunities across multiple industries.

On Aug. 28, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced the Department of Labor’s new Office of Compliance Initiatives, which aims to promote greater understanding of federal laws and regulations and provide innovative approaches to compliance assistance and enforcement.      

During its third annual Build Your Future Scholarship program, NCCER awarded scholarships of $2,000 each to 10 students who are pursuing craft professional education in the construction industry. NCCER and ABC’s Trimmer Construction Education Fund partner annually to present the scholarships to the top students attending an NCCER-accredited program or a state or federally-approved apprenticeship program in a merit shop training facility. 

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced three new directives, and the DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service opened the filing season for the VETS-4212 report. 

In February 2017, President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review the 2015 final Clean Water Rule: Definition of "Waters of the United States," also known as the WOTUS final rule, and accordingly revise or rescind it through public comment.

On Sept. 4, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued a notice to announce that the minimum wage for federal contractors will increase to $10.60 from the current $10.35 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2019.