More than 400 hundred ABC members are on Capitol Hill this week advocating for important merit shop issues with their members of Congress. For those members unable to make the trip, there is still an opportunity to participate virtually by contacting their elected officials from a computer or mobile device using ABC's Action App on your iPhone or Android, or downloading the update.

ABC May 28 sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Education and the Workforce Committee urging passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA represents an important opportunity to improve our workforce development system by increasing local business input in developing job training programs and improving access to federal funding for non-union training programs.

ABC and more than 1,200 members filed comments requesting the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) withdraw its controversial“ambush” election proposed rule. In addition, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace filed comments against the proposed rule with support from more than 140 local organizations, including over 40 ABC chapters.

ABC along with a group of business organizations March 31 shared their support to Senate and House Leadership of a bipartisan proposal that would repeal the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) statutory cap on deductibles for health plans in the small group market. In addition, ABC sent a letter April 1 to the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the Save American Workers Act (H.R. 2575), which would replace ACA’s definition of “full time” as 30 hours or more per week with the traditional definition of 40 hours.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) March 4 signed legislation which says that government entities within the state cannot require contractors to sign a project labor agreement (PLA), or any other agreement with labor unions, as a condition of performing work on taxpayer-funded construction projects in the state. This bill marks Alabama as the 19th state to adopt PLA reform.

U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) Feb. 26 released a draft of legislation designed to reform the tax code that proposes lowering the top tax rate for construction businesses from 35 percent and 39.6 percent to 25 percent, regardless of entity-level structure. The proposal confirms that the 25 percent Qualified Domestic Manufacturing Income (QDMI) rate would apply to “construction of real property in the United States as part of the active conduct of a construction trade or business.”

As expected, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Feb. 5 reissued a proposed rulemaking that will reduce the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place from the current average of 38 days to as few as 10. 

President Obama Jan.17 signed into law a $1.01 trillion omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3547) that funds all federal agencies for fiscal year 2014. The Senate Jan. 16 passed the appropriations bill by a 72-26 vote and the House Jan. 15, passed the bill by a 359-67 vote. The legislation includes funding decreases for many federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 13 in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recess appointments case (Noel Canning).  The oral arguments centered on a lower court ruling that held President Obama’s early 2012 recess appointments of three members to the NLRB were unconstitutional. More background information on the Noel Canning case and ABC National’s involvement can be found on the ABC website. 

On Jan. 9, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury issued another set of frequently asked questions regarding implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The FAQs (Part XVIII) discuss coverage of preventive services, limitations on cost-sharing, and wellness programs and provided guidance on the Mental Health Parity Act.