On September 22, President Trump issued an “Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping.” While the EO does not establish a blanket prohibition on diversity and inclusion (D&I) training of employees by government contractors, it does set forth restrictions on the content of such training. The U.S. Department of Labor must undertake a rulemaking to implement the terms of the EO and that rulemaking could put forth a better understanding of the restrictions required under the EO before it can take effect. AGC continues to review the EO and will provide additional information.

On October 1, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin remained far apart from reaching an agreement on additional COVID-relief funding legislation before Congress adjourns for the November 3 election. Among the areas where agreement remains elusive include the amount of additional funding for state and local governments, businesses and schools. Consequently, House Democrats are expected to pass their own $2.2 trillion COVID-relief bill largely along party lines with little to no prospects for passage by the GOP-controlled Senate. For the construction industry, many COVID-relief priorities too will likely wait until after the election, if not 2021, including additional funding for transportation, schools, hospitals and water projects, COVID liability protections for businesses and the deductibility of Paycheck Protection Program loan funds used for business expenses. AGC will continue to press for enactment of these priorities.

Each October, construction industry professionals in HR, training and workforce development gear up for the industry’s premier learning and networking event, AGC’s Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference, and this year is no different. The 2020 event has gone completely virtual and will be held Oct. 6-8, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed rule clarifying the definition of employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as it relates to independent contractors. AGC has long called for federal clarification of the independent contractor status and preservation of legitimate independent contractor relationships, such as those that have historically existed in the construction industry.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed rule clarifying the definition of employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as it relates to independent contractors. AGC has long called for federal clarification of the independent contractor status and preservation of legitimate independent contractor relationships, such as those that have historically existed in the construction industry.

Each October, construction industry professionals in HR, training and workforce development gear up for the industry’s premier learning and networking event, AGC’s Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference, and this year is no different. The 2020 event has gone completely virtual and will be held Oct. 6-8. For more information or to register, visit here.

In a move sure to frustrate employers and usher in a wave of confusion, a New York federal court judge just struck down critical portions of the Labor Department’s new joint employer rule that went into effect a few months ago. Concluding that the agency’s rule has “major flaws,” U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods decided yesterday that the rule did not comport with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The September 8 ruling tosses out the new standard that had applied to “vertical” employment relationships (when staffing company or subcontractor workers are contracted to work with another entity, for example), while keeping intact the rarer “horizontal” relationships between related entities that employ the same worker – which was not significantly changed by the final rule. Affected employers may have to chart a more difficult course in order to ensure they are not deemed liable in joint employer situations.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted revisions to regulations that implemented the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted revisions to regulations that implemented the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The revisions come as a result of a federal court decision that found portions of the regulations invalid.

Pre-Conference Federal Construction HR Workshop Returns