The Louisville district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) for the Ambulatory Health Center (AHC) project in Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in August issued two decisions that hurt employees’ rights by inhibiting their ability to petition for a secret-ballot election after an employer recognizes a union as a monopoly bargaining agent and by creating a new standard for a bargaining unit.

The U.S. House of Representatives Nov. 30 passed the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act (H.R. 3094) by a vote of 235-188. The bill is designed to counteract a proposed rule from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that would shorten the timeframe for union organizing elections and reverse the Board’s recent decision in Specialty Healthcare. 

As of July 30, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is fully staffed and the new members are likely to pursue issues the NLRB did not complete in past years, many of which are designed to facilitate or expedite the union organizing process.

ABC's Regulatory Alert provides an overview of the federally mandated rules, regulations and enforcement actions from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other federal agencies. Below are brief summaries of current issues, as well as links to more detailed information and guidance.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a survey requesting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) for the Nuclear Systems Wing & Sustainment Center Phase 2 project at Kirtland Air Force Base, Bernalillo County, N.M.

ABC members can take advantage of a variety of tools, including a website, www.shameonunionbanners.com, and a member resources guide, to counteract union bannering campaigns. 

As part of ABC’s partnership with the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) to educate lawmakers and the construction industry about the benefits of public-private partnerships (P3s), ABC South Texas Chapter is sponsoring a conference Sept. 11, in Austin, Texas.

The Lean Construction Institute (LCI) will be holding its LCI Congress Oct. 22-24 in Dallas, which will include presentations and training for both the design and construction aspects of lean building. LCI is providing a variety of registration options. View the options and register now.

Two key pass-through structures favored by small businesses pay a significantly higher effective tax rate than large corporations, according to an Aug. 7 study released by National Federation of Independent Business and the S Corporation Association, of which ABC is a coalition member.  Analysis by Quantria Strategies shows that S corps will pay the highest effective tax rate in 2013 at 31.6 percent, compared to 29.4 percent for partnerships, 17.8 percent for C-corporations and 15.1 percent for sole proprietorships.  Effective tax rates are the percentage of income businesses pay in taxes.