On March 30, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark for 2018. Effective March 31, 2018, the hiring benchmark will be 6.4 percent, down from 6.7 percent in 2017. This benchmark is an annual goal for the percentage of hires who are veterans at each affirmative action plan (AAP) establishment.

On April 3, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) began officially accepting applications for the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program and provided supplemental information about participation on the program’s website. The PAID program website includes information for an employer to determine the criteria for participating in the program, a brief description of compliance assistance materials, and the required elements of a self-audit. The site also includes details on how the program works and the process for the payment of wages. WHD will conduct a public webinar on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 1:00 pm Eastern time to provide an overview of the PAID program.

The use of the “Segal Blend” interest assumption to calculate a withdrawing company’s multiemployer pension liability was a “mistake” and unsupported by the record, according to the decision in The New York Times Co. v. Newspapers & Mail Deliverers’-Publishers’ Pension Fund, No. 1:17-cv-06178-RWS (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 26, 2018). This decision may have broad consequences for multiemployer pension plans and contributing employers, because the Segal Blend method is used by many of the largest multiemployer plans in the United States. It will most likely be appealed to the Second Circuit federal court of appeals.

Construction employment increased in 257 out of 358 metro areas between February 2017 and February 2018, declined in 50 and stagnated in 51, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that the employment gains are occurring as construction firms in many parts of the country are having a hard time finding enough qualified workers to keep pace with demand.

Join us on September 12-13, 2018 in Crystal City, Virginia

Kara Tanek, GLY Construction, Inc “It used to take me 45 minutes to prepare for my meeting, now it takes me five!” “You’re getting rid of a spreadsheet? Revolutionary!” Since going live with our new customer relationship management (CRM) system, our firm recognizes that comments like these are our reward for a job well done. Like many A/E/C firms, we had a CRM system, but after 20 years, the data had become unreliable and the system was considered a necessary evil by the few who continued to use it. When we decided to transition from our legacy CRM system to something new, we had more questions than answers. Here is how we set out to answer those questions.

AGC Seeks Input from Members on Potential Impact to Their Operations

Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between February 2017 and February 2018, while 38 states added construction jobs between January and February, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials praised the latest Congressional spending bill for funding career and technical education to help young workers get into the industry.

AGC spoke out against proposed guidelines that would make establishing new mitigation banks more onerous. The draft guidelines would make investment in mitigation less attractive and increase the cost of projects that rely on robust mitigation banks to comply with legal requirements and stay on budget. Furthermore, provisions in the proposed guidelines go beyond what is required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2008 Mitigation Rule and work against recent executive orders that prioritize regulatory reform and environmental streamlining. Proposed by the Fort Worth District of the USACE, AGC is concerned that the guidelines may be adopted by other districts.

Construction employment increased in 248 out of 358 metro areas between January 2017 and January 2018, declined in 68 and stagnated in 42, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that future construction job gains could be undermined, however, as new tariffs force contractors to pay more for steel and aluminum products and dampen demand for new construction.