The Blog

Last month I reported that the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission had withstood an all-out push from construction unions and their political allies and put its $350 million West Parish Water Treatment Plant project out to bid without a union-only project labor agreement (PLA). Sadly, the victory was fleeting. On March 18 the Commission added a PLA to the project via an addendum.

On March 29, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced its Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process final rule, which allows employees to choose a third-party representative, such as an outside union representative or community organizer, to accompany an OSHA safety inspector into nonunion workplaces during site inspections. This final rule is effective on May 31, 2024.

Associated Builders and Contractors and its Florida First Coast chapter have filed suit in federal court to stop the Biden administration’s unlawful scheme to mandate project labor agreements on construction contracts procured by federal agencies. ABC’s complaint asserts that President Joe Biden lacks the legal and constitutional authority to impose a new federal regulation injuring economy and efficiency in federal contracting and illegally steering construction contracts to certain unionized contractors, which employ roughly 10% of the U.S. construction workforce.

The construction industry added 23,000 jobs on net in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 215,000 jobs, an increase of 2.7%.

The organization of a legal entity offers many advantages to business owners, including the opportunity for limited liability. Unfortunately, these same legal entities can also be used to mask illegal activity and launder illegally gotten money. In an effort to combat white collar crimes and security threats to the United States, the Federal Government recently enacted the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. These acts are part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Construction input prices increased 1.4% in February compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 1.3% for the month.

Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 8.1 months in February, according to an ABC member survey conducted Feb. 20 to March 5. The reading is down 1.1 months from February 2023.

Medford Wellington apprentice electrician Cheslie Sanon came to the U.S. from Haiti when she was 10 years old. “Since then, I’ve done everything I can to work hard and have a positive attitude.” You don’t need to talk to her for long to realize that those two traits are in her DNA.

I’m pleased to say that I’ll be using this month’s message to convey some good news. Last month, I wrote about the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission’s split decision to use a union-only project labor agreement to build the $325 million West Parish Water Treatment Plant. But as of the end of February, I can report that the project has gone out to bid without the PLA.

In Massachusetts, the Supplier Diversity Program is a state program that encourages state agencies to award state contracts to certified diverse businesses. To qualify for the program, companies must be certified as a diverse business in any of the following categories: