February 1, 2012
STEP Applications are Due March 1, 2012
Click Here to download application or contact Cate@gwgci.org
HOUSE HEARING FOCUSES ON NLRB ‘RECESS’ APPOINTMENTS
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Feb. 1 held a hearing to examine President Obama’s unconstitutional “recess” appointment of three people to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
ABC submitted a letter as part of the hearing reiterating its position that the appointment of Sharon Block (D), Richard Griffin (D) and Terry Flynn (R) to the NLRB will have long-term negative consequences for the economy and country. Read More
CONSTRUCTION UNION MEMBERSHIP NEAR HISTORIC LOW
A new report released Jan. 27 by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that from 2010 to 2011, 874,000 workers in the private construction industry belonged to a union, the second lowest number of construction union members since BLS started tracking this information in 1973.
According to BLS data, the lowest recorded number of union members in the construction industry was in 2010, when only 801,000 private construction workers belonged to a union. In 2011, there were 6.244 million workers in the construction industry and 5.375 million of them (86 percent) were not union members. From 2010 to 2011, union membership grew from 13.1 percent to 14 percent of the U.S. private construction workforce, with construction unions adding 73,000 more members compared to 2010. Read More
ABC CELEBRATES INDIANA'S NEW RIGHT-TO-WORK BILL
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today commended the Indiana legislature for approving a new right-to-work bill that will protect all workers in the state from being forced to pay union dues as a requirement of employment. Once Gov. Mitch Daniels signs the bill, Indiana will become the 23rd state in the nation to enact a right-to-work law.
“No American should be forced to join a labor union just to keep a job, and no resident of Indiana should be required to pay dues to an organization he or she does not believe in,” said 2012 ABC National Chairman Eric Regelin, president of Granix, LLC, Ellicott City, Md. “The new right-to-work law will allow workers to freely decide whether to join a union.
“In addition, right-to-work legislation has been introduced in 13 other states,” Regelin said. “This suggests that state lawmakers – strapped with massive budget deficits, falling revenues and stagnant economic growth – are considering right-to-work laws to lure new businesses into their states and help turn their economies around.”
ASSE ANNOUNCES NEW CONSTRUCTION SAFETY STANDARDS
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) announced in January the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved two new standards and one update to an existing standard designed to enhance safety in the construction industry.
The two new standards are the ANSI/ASSE A10.1-2011 Pre-Project and Pre-Task Safety and Health Planning for Construction and Demolition Operations, which ABC helped develop, and the ANSI/ASSE A10.26-2011 Emergency Procedures for Construction and Demolition Sites.
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January 24, 2012
ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS OF MASSACHUSETTS
INSTALLS 2012 OFFICERS
The Massachusetts Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABCMA) installed its 2012 officers on January 19th at a joint meeting of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island chapters held at Christina’s restaurant in FoxboroJanuary 18, 2012
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