The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, released the following statement...

Forty-three states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between June 2017 and June 2018, while 32 states and D.C. added construction jobs between May and June, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials cautioned that continued job gains may depend on improving the training and education pipeline for workers to enter the industry.

Collective bargaining negotiations settled from January through June 2018 resulted in an average first-year wage-and-benefits increase of 3.0 percent or $1.65, according to the Construction Labor Research Council’s (CLRC) latest – and redesigned – Settlements Report. While most first-year increases were in the 2.1-2.5 percent and 2.6-3.0 percent ranges, CLRC reported a “noticeable” percent of first-year increases of over 5 percent. For newly negotiated multi-year agreements, the average increase for both the second and the third year of the contract was 2.8 percent. The Insulators had the highest average first-year increase at 4 percent, while the Boilermakers had the lowest at 2.1 percent.

The U.S. Department of Labor has published a final rule rescinding the controversial “Persuader Rule” issued under Pres. Obama. This is a victory for AGC and others who opposed the regulation and urged the Trump administration to rescind it.

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Following Scott Pruitt’s resignation late last week, Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler assumed the role of acting administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 9. In his first address to EPA staff, Wheeler indicated that he would continue President Trump’s goals for the agency to reign in federal regulatory overreach and refocus EPA on its core responsibilities. AGC supported Andrew Wheeler’s confirmation as deputy administrator in a letter to the senate earlier this year.

Construction costs accelerated again in June

Construction costs accelerated again in June, with steep increases for a wide range of building and road construction materials as tariffs against foreign goods come into effect, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new Labor Department data. Association officials say that contractors will have to assume much of the costs as tariffs increase the costs of many key construction materials.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Peter Robb has issued a memorandum about the NLRB’s new approach to cases charging that employee work rules or employment policies (also referred to as employee handbook policies) unlawfully interfere with employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The memo was written in follow-up to the NLRB’s December 2017 Boeing decision and provides employers with useful guidance.