The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) filed a lawsuit Jan. 5 seeking to overturn the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) controversial ambush election rule. The changes are scheduled to take effect April 14 unless a court or Congress blocks enforcement of the new rule. The suit was filed in the D.C. Federal District Court and follows CDW’s successful 2012 lawsuit that overturned the NLRB’s previous ambush election rule. 

Beginning Jan. 1, contractors will face new deadlines and requirements for reporting severe injuries on the jobsite. The rule will go into effect Jan. 1, 2015, for all employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act - even those who are exempt from maintaining injury and illness records.

The DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a final rule Dec. 9 implementing Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees and prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in federal employment.

On Dec. 12, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its long-awaited final rule that overhauls the procedures for union representation elections. Under this controversial rule, the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place likely will dramatically be reduced from the current average of 38 days. The changes are currently scheduled to take effect on April 14, 2015, unless a court or Congress blocks enforcement of the new rule.

In the most recent regulatory agenda released Nov. 21, expected action items from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are outlined and include the Clean Water Act, the Power Plant Rule and the Lead Paint Renovation Repair and Painting Program. 

In addition to the OSHA and federal contracting regulations, the latest regulatory agenda, released Nov. 21, outlines the Department of Labor’s (DOL) plan to move forward with the controversial persuader rule and overtime requirements among other important rules affecting the construction industry.

Federal Contractors should be on the lookout for a number of items listed in the latest regulatory agenda, released Nov. 21, which lists the priorities of the administration and the rulemakings they expect to release this year. 

OSHA’s latest semiannual regulatory agenda was released on Nov. 2. It lists the priorities of the administration and the rulemakings they expect to release this year.

As a part of The Partnership for a Better Energy Future (the Partnership), ABC and other business organizations representing more than 80% of the U.S. economy, submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arguing that itsproposed power plant rule, also known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP), is not compatible with numerous practical and technical aspects of America’s electricity system. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued two surveys soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of project labor agreements (PLA) on projects in Illinois and Nevada.