On Jan. 9, ABC filed comments to the National Labor Relations Board in support of a proposed rule that would implement three amendments to the representation election regulations under the National Labor Relations Act. Specifically, the proposal includes amendments to the NLRB’s blocking charge policy, voluntary recognition bar and Section 9(a) recognition in the construction industry.

On Dec. 16, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published its final rule clarifying and updating the regulations governing regular rate requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, which authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and other national security programs, contains several provisions that have an impact on contractors and apprenticeship programs in the United States.

On Nov. 26, OSHA issued a temporary enforcement policy for crane operator certifications issued by Crane Institute Certification, which no longer holds such accreditation.

On Dec. 5, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in support of its proposal to revise the DOL’s regulation for computing overtime compensation for salaried nonexempt employees who work hours that vary each week (i.e., a fluctuating workweek) under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

On Sept. 27, the DOL issued a final rule on overtime, officially named Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees, which updates and revises the “white-collar” overtime exemption regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.  The final rule go

On Nov. 20, the Trump administration released its Fall 2019 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The agenda lists upcoming rulemakings and other regulatory actions from each agency that the administration expects to publish through the end of the year and into 2020.   

Give your craft trainees the experience of lifetime a by sponsoring them as competitors in the 2020 National Craft Championships, which will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, during ABC Convention 2020, March 23-27. The intent-to-compete deadline is Dec. 13, 2019. Click here to register your competitor! When you visit ncc.abc.org, take a minute to read about the new written exam opportunity.

In August, ABC launched the “One Post a Day” social media campaign to share positive messages with ABC chapters every day that showcase our commitment to the merit shop construction industry as well as safety and workforce development. This campaign has been successful and, based on recent feedback, we decided to make some changes to make it even more targeted and effective.

On Nov. 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 by an overwhelming bipartisan vote. TRIA is a shared public/private insurance program available to the construction and real estate sectors to cover catastrophic losses caused by acts of terrorism. ABC urges all senators to support H.R. 4634.