On March 7, the U.S. Department of Labor unveiled its long-awaited proposal to update and revise the “white collar” overtime exemption regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which DOL estimates will make more than one million new workers eligible for overtime pay.

ABC is hosting the upcoming webinar, “Understanding the Impact of OFCCP’s Recent Policy Changes on Federal Contractors” at 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 19. Lance Gibbons, Shareholder at Littler Mendelson P.C., will lead the webinar and discuss recent activity at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and what federal contractors need to know.

On Feb. 28, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Andrew Wheeler as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by a vote of 52 to 47. ABC sent a letter to senators in support of Wheeler’s confirmation based on his work as the acting administrator of the EPA to promote an effective environmental permitting process for construction projects, his proposal of a new Waters of the United States rule and his efforts to repeal and replace the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy Plan.

ABC’s vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs did a radio tour last week during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Speaking with The Epoch Times from the convention floor, he discussed the advantages of a career in the construction trades. Brubeck also discussed project labor agreements and prevailing wage issues in four additional interviews.

On Feb. 28, ABC, as a member of the Partnership for Employer-sponsored Coverage, sent a letter to Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, providing recommendations on how to address America’s rising health care costs.

Are you using fair, best-practice standard contracts to achieve better project results? Contracts from ABC business partner ConsensusDocs are written and supported by 40 prominent organizations that collectively represent more than 300,000 individuals and companies.

ABC has added Oklahoma Chapter member Thom Bowen of Securian Advisors MidAmerica Inc. to the Beam Club Presidential level. The Beam Club was established in 1966 to recognize ABC’s top membership recruiters for their commitment to growing the association.

In a Feb. 21 letter, ABC asked President Trump to eliminate an Obama administration executive order encouraging the use of government-mandated project labor agreements on large-scale federal construction projects because it “stands in the way of creating career paths into the construction industry for many merit shop craft professionals.”

The Michigan Court of Claims has upheld a 2018 decision by the Michigan Legislature to repeal the state’s prevailing wage law, dismissing claims by Protecting Michigan Workers, the union-led group spearheading opposition to repeal in a decision announced on Monday, Feb. 25. Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan led the 2018 coalition, Protecting Michigan Taxpayers, in the successful effort to peel back the 50-year old law that had been responsible for inflated construction costs across the state and a bevy of associated regulations and red tape. 

From Feb. 24 to March 31, ABC members are encouraged to participate in the third annual National Ladder Safety Month to raise awareness of ladder safety and decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities.