A study released in August by the Beacon Hill Institute found that New Jersey schools built under controversial government-mandated project labor agreements cost 16.25% more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements.

On Sept. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published a notice in the Federal Register to announce that the minimum wage for federal contractors will increase to $10.80 per hour from the current $10.60 beginning Jan. 1, 2020.

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted 12-11 to advance the nomination of Eugene Scalia to serve as the secretary of labor. The nomination will move to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote.

On Sept. 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed the final rule rescinding the 2015 final Clean Water Rule: Definition of "Waters of the United States," also known as the WOTUS final rule. ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman attended the signing ceremony for the rulemaking.

In light of a recent court decision, certain employers will be required for the first time to submit detailed data on employee compensation and hours worked (or Component 2 data) for calendar years 2017 and 2018 to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as part of their annual EEO-1 form submission by Sept. 30, 2019.  

On Sept. 12, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service will hold a webcast providing employers with compliance assistance on the joint final rule on health reimbursement arrangements.  

On Aug. 15, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a  Request for Information seeking comment on Table 1 of the agency’s Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction. 

On Aug. 12, the National Labor Relations Board published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled Representation-Case Procedures: Election Bars; Proof of Majority Support in Construction Industry Collective-Bargaining Relationships, which proposes amendments to the representation election regulations. 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs recently published several compliance assistance guides to provide federal contractors with resources on recordkeeping, postings and notices, technical assistance and more.

On June 25, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule on apprenticeship programs that would establish a process for creating high-quality, industry-recognized apprenticeship programs by organizations that apply to become DOL recognized Standards Recognition Entities. DOL’s new release on the proposal is available here.