Talks between construction companies and 15,000 striking Chicago-area union workers are set to restart on July 19 after negotiations to end the nearly three-week-old stalemate failed to produce a resolution. The strike, which began June 29, is by Local 150 of the operating engineers’ union and the Laborers’ District Council of Chicago. Their three-year contracts’ expired on May 31. Workers seek a 15% wage hike over three years and a 5% increase in health benefit contributions to offset health-care costs rising 10% to 12% per year. The Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association, which represents contractor employers, originally offered a 3.25% hike

Photo courtesy of Engineers Without Borders Engineers Without Borders-USA Selected for 2010 Turner Prize Engineers Without Borders-USA, a Boulder, Colo.-based group of more than 12,000 student and professional engineers and others—who build sustainable infrastructure in the world’s poorest communities, such as this Guatemala bridge project (below)—has won the 2010 Henry C. Turner prize for innovation, the National Building Museum said on July 12. The $25,000 prize, endowed since 2002 by Turner Construction Co., New York City, and named for its founder, was awarded to EWB-USA for its impact in the developing world and for “instilling a sense of global responsibility

In a troubling sign for construction, the industry’s unemployment rate showed no improvement in June after three straight monthly declines as the industry lost 22,000 jobs during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The bureau’s employment report for June, released on July 2, showed that construction’s jobless rate for the month was 20.1%, the same as May’s level, but worse than the June 2009’s 17.4%. Anirban Basu, the Associated Builders and Contractors’ chief economist, says, for construction, “it is clear that this represents another disappointing jobs report.” The total number of construction unemployed fell from 2.44 million in

In a troubling sign for construction, the industry's unemployment rate showed no improvement in June after three straight months in which the rate declined, as the industry lost 22,000 jobs during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The bureau's employment report for June, released on July 2, showed that construction's jobless rate for the month was 20.1%, the same as May's level, but worse than the June 2009 mark of 17.4%. Anirban Basu, the Associated Builders and Contractors' chief economist, says that for construction, "it is clear that this represents another disappointing jobs report." The Associated General Contractors'

More than a year ago, Martha Bidez, a University of Alabama-Birmingham engineering professor, envisioned a new online master’s-degree track to focus explicitly on disaster prevention and systems safety. In early 2010, she began to develop its curriculum and recruit industry experts with experience in high-profile catastrophes to advise and teach. The program, the first such track in the U.S., say university officials, was inspired by a fatal blast in 2005 at a refinery owned by oil giant BP. Now the firm’s latest disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is imparting new momentum to the plans. Preventing disasters such as BP’s

As part of an effort to crack down on companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, the U.S. Dept. of Labor is working on a proposed rule that would set additional record-keeping and notification requirements for employers concerning their workers’ status. Deputy Labor Secretary Seth D. Harris testified during a June 17 Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing that some employers deliberately misclassify employees as independent contractors, or “leased” or outsourced workers, and can gain an advantage in the market over law-abiding competitors. Harris said the department’s Wage and Hour Division is mulling a proposed regulation that would

Data from the first survey of graduates of the 15-year-old ACE Mentor Program of America, a non-profit organization that introduces high-school students to architecture, construction and engineering, indicates that more than 65% of ACE alumni are pursuing design and construction majors. Of them, 37.7% are studying engineering, 22.4% are studying architecture, 5.3% are studying construction and 1.4% are learning a skilled trade. Survey results indicate 97% of ACE alumni graduate from high school, compared to 73.4% of students nationwide. The data also indicates 94% attend college, compared to 68% nationally. According to the survey, female ACE participants enter college engineering

On June 22, the Senate confirmed the appointments of Brian Hayes, a Republican, and Mark Pearce, a Democrat, to the National Labor Relations Board, upping its membership to five. The newly confirmed members will serve five-year terms. The confirmations come just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NLRB was unqualified to render decisions during a 27-month period when it lacked a legal quorum. The board operated with two members from January 2008 to late March 2010, and in that time period, reviewed about 600 cases. In April 2010, President Obama recess-appointed two additional members to the board:

As part of an effort to tighten up on companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, the U.S. Dept. of Labor is considering proposing a rule that would set additional record-keeping and notification requirements for employers concerning their workers' status. Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris told a Senate hearing on June 17 that some employers deliberately misclassify workers as independent contractors or "leased" or outsourced workers and can gain an advantage in the market over competitors that adhere to the law. Harris said the department's Wage and Hour Division is mulling a proposed regulation that would require companies to carry

As part of a campaign to boost recruitment and stem an expected 30% retirement rate, the Water Environment Federation and the American Water Works Association announced on June 7 the launch of a new joint website, www.WorkForWater.org, which focuses on careers in water-related industry sectors. The site has landing pages for high school, vocational and college students, second-career and retired-military job seekers, and advanced science professionals, the groups say. The site is a gateway to many existing recruiting and retention resources but seeks new contributions as well.