Coronavirus-caused Slowdown Contrasts with January Figures Showing a Majority of Metro Areas Added Construction Jobs; Officials Note New Infrastructure Funding and Paid Family Leave Fixes are Needed

On March 18, AGC joined a host of other business groups in calling on Congress to enact a number of tax-related measures to safeguard companies, regardless of size, during the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes policies such as immediately providing accessible, unsecured credit to businesses, suspend the filing of business returns and the payment of all business taxes, and amending the Tax Code to, among other items, restore the ability of businesses to carryback any net operating losses against previous year tax payments. AGC believes these measures will help to minimize the number of businesses closed and workers unemployed during this time and ensure that all businesses have the resources necessary to ride out the pandemic.

Construction Firms Are Already Taking Steps to Protect Employees, Most of Whom Already Wear Protective Equipment, While Halting Work Will Undermine Efforts to Add Hospital Capacity

Texas and Utah Have Biggest Number and Percent of Annual Job Gains, While Louisiana and West Virginia Lag; New York and New Hampshire Have Largest Monthly Gains, Washington Has Biggest Decreases

AGC’s Lean Construction Forum Steering Committee Chairman Scott Green, Manager of Construction Technology at Tarlton Corporation extended the baton at last weeks' annual Convention to Jason Schneider, Partner, Director of Project Management at VJS Construction Services, Inc. for the 2020-2022 term.

For the second year in a row, AGC of America’s Business Development Forum, partnered with The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), to offer free one-on-one BD “Check-Ups” for AGC Convention attendees to review and offer guidance on their BD and marketing related efforts. Subject matter experts from across the nation were paired with attendees to answer questions and challenges relating to BD planning, sales, proposals, client presentations, branding, brochures, websites, social media, and more.

At the AGC Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Building Division by acclimation elected Robert (Bob) Majerus as Chairman for 2020-2021. Bob is a graduate of Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and has a Law Degree from the University of Notre Dame. He joined Hensel Phelps in 2006 and serves as Vice President and General Counsel, Bob has overall responsibility for contractual and legal matters for the Greeley, Colorado-based organization. Prior to joining Hensel Phelps, Bob was a trial attorney for a private law firm. He began his career with Hensel Phelps as Associate General Counsel before being appointed Vice President and General Counsel.

As of March 5, a majority of federal agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have launched guidance portals in accordance with a pair of executive orders (EO 13891 and EO 13892). These measures, signed by President Trump in October 2019, intend to reduce the impact of agency guidance the White House believes has become a back-door means of regulation. The orders target significant guidance that could have the potential to impact the economy, the environment, public health, or state, local, or tribal communities.

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) has issued a final rule changing the standard for when one company may be deemed a joint employer of another company’s employees. Like the proposed rule, the final rule establishes that a company is a joint employer if it actually exercises substantial direct and immediate control over essential terms and conditions of employment. However, consistent with AGC of America’s comments to the proposed rule, the final rule adds clarification as to what constitutes “substantial direct and immediate control,” “essential terms and conditions of employment,” and other key terms.

AGC’s 2020 Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference and pre-conference Federal Construction HR Workshop will be held on October 7-9, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch in St. Louis, MO. The conference will offer unique opportunities for HR, training, and workforce development professionals in the construction industry. For training professionals, the conference will offer sessions related to the most cutting-edge techniques currently in the industry and envisioned for the future in training, education and workforce development. For HR professionals, the conference will help attendees stay up to date and compliant with employment laws and best practices. Some sessions will be of interest to both HR and training professionals alike.