Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed legislation on May 13 that expands state requirements to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of employees. It also closes a loophole for project worker identification and sets severe penalties for violations. Building on previous state rules that required public owners and public-works contractors to use E-Verify, the new law expands mandates to all businesses with more than 10 employees. The new rules will take effect on Jan. 1 for employers with 500 or more full-time employees; on July 1, 2012, for those with between 100 and 499 workers; and
Missouri's transportation department unveiled plans on May 5 for dramatic cost cutting measures that will trim 1,200 staff positions, or 19% of its workforce. The department also will close 135 facilities and sell 740 pieces of equipment. The agency's five-year, $1.2-billion budget is being halved to $600 million due to severe revenue shortfalls. The reductions will create an estimated $512-million onetime savings as well as $117 million in long-term annual savings. The proposed program is “a matter of survival,” says state transportation director Kevin Keith. The cuts will scale back department facilities by 40% and reduce its equipment fleet by
Union painters in New York City finalized a collective bargaining agreement on May 3 that makes several wage, benefit and work-rule concessions to employers, a result contractor groups hope will set a pattern for other city pacts now being negotiated. The Association of Master Painters of New York Inc., District Council No. 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, and AFL-CIO ratified the new contract after 10 weeks of bargaining. The four-year contract includes a wage freeze in the first year and wage hikes totaling $4.50 in the second, third and fourth years, averaging about 2% a
Construction's jobless rate improved in April, declining to 17.8% from 20% in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 6. Last month's figure also was markedly better than the April 2010 level of 21.8%, but it remains the worst among major U.S. industries. BLS says construction gained 5,000 jobs in April, according to preliminary numbers. However, BLS says total industry employment “has shown little net movement since early 2010, after having fallen sharply during the prior three years.” By sector, jobs in heavy and civil construction rose by 12,700 in April, more than offsetting losses in buildings
Construction's jobless rate improved in April, declining to 17.8% from March's 20%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Last month's figure also was markedly better than the industry's April 2010 level of 21.8%, but construction's rate remained the worst among major U.S. industries.BLS's latest monthly employment update, released on May 6, shows that construction gained 5,000 jobs in April, according to preliminary numbers. But the bureau also observed that total construction employment "has shown little net movement since early 2010, after having fallen sharply during the prior three years."Looking at construction segments, heavy and civil construction recorded an increase of 12,700
At the first national conference for women in the trades held on April 30 in Oakland, Calif., more than 625 craftswomen gathered to learn how to boost their share of the workforce. They are not content to see women stuck at 2.5% of the craft union workforce, a national average they say they have not exceeded in 30 years. The meeting, co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Dept., included women from the U.S. and Canada. Photo courtesy of Women Building The Nation Tradeswomen from across the country and across the building trades’ unions attended the event in California.
As city and county officials and local trade unions work out the kinks in adhering to San Francisco's new local hire law, which went into effect on March 25, a state assemblyman from a county to the south is pushing new legislation that will shut down main elements of the ordinance. Photo: Courtesy of Webcor Webcor is building the San Francisco General Hospital replacement project, which would have been severely hampered by the new local-hire law. The new San Francisco law, commissioned by Supervisor John Avalos, mandates that 20% of all project hours within each trade be performed by local
Construction's jobless rate continues to show a positive trend, improving to 20% in March from February's 21.8% rate. Though last month's mark remains worrisomely high, it was much better than March 2010's 24.9%. Related Links: U.S. Department of Labor News Release ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's Analysis AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Analysis March also was the sixth consecutive month in which construction's jobless rate improved over the year-earlier levels. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest monthly employment report, released on April 1, also shows that construction lost 1,000 jobs last month. All of construction jobs shed were in
Construction’s February unemployment rate of 21.8% showed improvement over January’s 22.5% rate and was a substantial drop from February 2010’s 27.1%, but the industry’s jobless level remains the highest among U.S. industries, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Released on March 4, the BLS report shows that construction gained 33,000 jobs in February. However, BLS notes that the industry’s February pickup in jobs followed a January loss of 22,000 jobs, which “may have reflected severe winter weather.” Jobs increased in February in all construction segments, except non-residential building, which had a loss of 2,000 jobs. Specialty trade
Heading into the summer bargaining season, the goodwill created between New York City contractors and construction unions during landmark labor negotiations in 2009 appears to be spent. Labor bosses are crying foul over an employer campaign aimed at reducing the gap between union and open-shop rates. Photo: For ENR By Michael Falco New York building firms’ rep Coletti (left) and union head LaBarbera in 2009 after inking pact to cut costs. Relations now are strained. Rather than working exclusively with union trades representatives, the Building Trades Employers’ Association, which represents about 1,700 contractors citywide, is reaching out directly to rank-and-file
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