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Construction industry employment grew by 192,000 wage and salary workers to 8.35 million in 2019, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, the report found the share of construction industry employees that belong to a union dropped 0.2 percentage points from 12.8% in 2018 to just 12.6% in 2019.
The nonresidential merit shop construction sector continues to perform more than 10 years into the U.S. economy’s longest expansion. Backlog hovers near record highs at 8.8 months, according to ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator. And the latest ABC Construction Confidence Index increased with respect to sales, profit margins and staffing.
“The merit shop value proposition continues to deliver for workers and employers alike,” said Michael Bellaman, ABC president and CEO. “Allowing contractors to pay their skilled workforce based on merit, experience and productivity and compete to win work on a level playing field fuels the American economy and millions of career dreams.”
Across all industries, union membership declined to 10.3%, down 0.2 percentage points from 2018. That is the lowest unionization rate on record since BLS began tracking comparable data in 1983. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.6 million in 2019, was little changed from 2018.
On Jan. 6, directed by an act of Congress, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration launched an online database called the Commercial Driver's License Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. Employers that utilize commercial drivers should be aware of the new reporting and query requirements.
To assist employers, FMCSA has developed several resources located on the Clearinghouse website:
ABC’s general counsel, Littler Mendelson, also has developed informative resources on the Clearinghouse:
Continue to visit Newsline for any updates on the CDL Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse.
Greg Sizemore, ABC’s vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development and vice chair of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, spoke on a panel at the Construction Leadership Network Conference last week in Houston to discuss substance abuse and the rise of suicide in the construction industry.
“I feel like most people particularly in construction avoid the topic because they’re uncomfortable with it and don’t know what to do, but avoiding suicide and substance abuse is not going to solve anything,” said Sizemore. “We can’t expect employees to simply leave life’s issues at the gate or when they put their hard hat on.”
Sizemore wanted people to understand that substance abuse and suicide affect everyone around them, beyond coworkers and immediate family members. He also wanted people to leave the discussion knowing it was up to them to change their paradigm, find out what they can do, and potentially save someone’s life.
“We need to take the time to make sure all employees are safe physically and mentally and have honest conversations,” he said. “However, there’s a lot work to do. We need to educate people about the risks and give them the tools to assist those who need it. Mental health must be addressed now for the sake of our current workforce and the workforce of the future.”
To learn more about the Construction Leadership Network and the conference, visit https://www.constructionleaders.org/
The Council on Environmental Quality issued a proposed rule to update its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, which has not been updated for more than four decades. The proposal would modernize and clarify the regulations to facilitate more efficient, effective and timely NEPA reviews by federal agencies in connection with proposals for agency action. Learn more about the NEPA proposal here.
ABC supports the modernization of these critical regulations and believes that these enhancements will go a long way toward eliminating unnecessary delays that cause budget overruns in construction. Creating a coordinated, predictable and transparent process to streamline permitting will enable the industry to plan and execute even the most complex projects while safeguarding our communities, maintaining a healthy environment and being good stewards of public funds.
ABC is a member of the Unlock American Investment coalition, which said, “Updating NEPA will reduce delays hindering critical projects, resulting in better infrastructure, a stronger economy and continued environmental stewardship. Modernizing NEPA is the key to unblocking investments.”
Take Action Today!
Submit a comment postcard: An online comment postcard gives ABC members the opportunity to tell President Trump that they support the NEPA proposal. The postcards will be emailed directly to the CEQ proposed rule comment docket.
Contact ABC staff about delayed projects: If any ABC members have projects that are delayed due to current NEPA permitting regulations, please contact Karen Livingston, ABC National’s Senior Director of Policy.
Attend a Public Hearing: CEQ will host three public hearings in Denver on Feb. 11 on the NEPA proposed rule. Register for the morning and afternoon sessions here and register for the evening session here.
The Construction Management Competition is ABC’s hallmark competition promoting careers in construction management. It not only gives the nation’s top construction management students a glimpse into the real world of construction, but it also provides them with the opportunity to showcase their talents.
The colleges and universities competing in this year’s competition, all members of ABC’s National Student Chapter Network, are:
Alfred State College
Auburn University
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Long Beach
Clemson University
Colorado State University
East Carolina University
Ferris State University
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University
Kent State University
Lawrence Technological University
Louisiana State University
Montgomery College
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Purdue University
University of Florida
Texas A&M University
Texas State University
University of Central Florida
University of Cincinnati
University of North Florida
University of Northern Iowa
University of Tennessee
University of Wisconsin – Platteville
University of Wisconsin – Stout
All of these schools will be competing on Thursday, March 26, at ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.
For more information on this year’s competition, visit http://abcconvention.abc.org/Programs/CMC
On Jan. 16, the U.S. Senate approved President Trump’s signature trade deal with Mexico and Canada, the USMCA, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 89-10 vote. The agreement previously passed the House in December on a similarly bipartisan 385-41 vote and now awaits the president’s signature of the deal into law. ABC supports the USMCA and believes it will help ensure certainty in the supply chain and reduce volatility in pricing for building materials from Mexico and Canada to further lift the economy, support more projects and help address the much-needed modernization of our nation’s infrastructure.
The deal is awaiting ratification from Canada’s legislature, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the government would unveil legislation to approve the agreement at the end of this month.
OSHA’s Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule requires certain establishments to electronically submit information from their OSHA Form 300A for calendar year 2019 by March 2.
New requirement: the collection of calendar year 2019 data and beyond will include the collection of establishments' Employer Identification Numbers.
Learn more here about the reporting requirements and see the FAQs. Who is required to submit the OSHA Form 300A for CY 2019 by March 2? Establishments with 250 or more employees that are currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries (outlined here)
If employers in State Plan states have questions about their obligation to submit injury and illness information, they should contact their State Plan office.
Information on how to electronically submit the OSHA Form 300A can be found on OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application website.
On Jan. 15, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act, the U.S. Department of Labor published a final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the department, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for 2020. This final rule went into effect on Jan. 15, 2020. As provided by the Inflation Adjustment Act, the increased penalty levels apply to any penalties assessed after the effective date of this rule.
States that operate their own Occupational Safety and Health Plans are required to adopt maximum penalty levels that are at least as effective as federal OSHA's. Below are the maximum penalty amounts adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 15, 2020, according to OSHA’s website.
Type of Violation
Penalty
Serious Other-Than-Serious Posting Requirements
$13,494 per violation
Failure to Abate
$13,494 per day beyond the abatement date
Willful or Repeated
$134,397 per violation
For more information, visit OSHA's website.
Save the date and support the competitors of the 2020 National Craft Championships by volunteering to be a judge.
All judges must have a demonstrated expertise in one of the following crafts:
The NCC will be held March 26 at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. For the hands-on practical performance test, judges must report on Thursday, March 26, by 6:45 a.m. and will be dismissed by 5 p.m. Judges also are invited to attend the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony on Friday, March 27, at 5 p.m. at Music City Center.
If you are interested in volunteering to be a judge, follow this link to register: http://www.cvent.com/d/9hqd7l
On Jan. 9, ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman and Miller and Long employees Alan Michael Jenkins and James Spencer Johnson joined President Trump at the White House for the announcement of the Council on Environmental Quality’s proposed rule to update its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA has not been updated for more than four decades. The proposal would modernize and clarify the regulations to facilitate more efficient, effective and timely NEPA reviews by federal agencies in connection with proposals for agency action.
According to CEQ’s fact sheet, “the outdated regulations have slowed and impeded the development of needed infrastructure in communities across the nation. Environmental impact statements for federal highway projects have averaged over seven years to complete and many reviews have taken a decade or more.”
ABC is a member of the Unlock American Investment coalition, which said, “Updating NEPA will reduce delays hindering critical projects, resulting in better infrastructure, a stronger economy and continued environmental stewardship. Modernizing NEPA is the key to unblocking investments.” To learn more, see the coalition’s fact sheet.
The public may comment on the proposal until March 10. CEQ will host two public hearings in Denver on Feb. 11 and Washington, D.C on Feb. 25. Additional details concerning the hearings and other public engagement may be found here.