Following the November 2008 elections, hope ran high among national union bosses. Unprecedented political canvassing by union members helped shore up a victory for labor-friendly presidential candidate Barack Obama and bolstered the Democrats� headcount on Capitol Hill. More than a year and a half later, labor leaders have checked several key items off their wish list, as sweeping policy changes have ushered in new opportunities for union contractors across the country. But with the mid-term elections approaching in November, an electorate soured by the lingering recession and soaring unemployment could bring union advances to a halt. Early on, President Obama
The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) is sending a blunt message to the public about the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, hoping to generate political momentum behind several stalled bills in Congress. Photo: Bruce Buckley/ENR Example of the type of billboard the union is sponsoring var so = new FlashObject("http://natalie.feedroom.com/construction/natoneclip/Player.swf","Player", "300", "169", "8", "#FFFFFF");so.addVariable("skin", "natoneclip");so.addVariable("site", "construction");so.addVariable("fr_story", "bc6ff11c753f25a77c31f7d5382f3db377020526&rf");so.addVariable("hostURL", document.location.href);so.addParam("quality", "high");so.addParam("allowFullScreen", "true");so.addParam("menu", "false");so.write("flashcontent"); The initial budget for the program is about $2 million and could rise significantly from that level, the union said. LIUNA kicked off its campaign, dubbed Build America 2010, in Colorado on May 18. It includes billboards unveiled in
Federal contracting officers will no longer be required to withhold 10% of fees for architectural and engineering services, following a four-year effort of industry lobbying. Published in March by the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council, the new rule says retainage is discretionary. If contracting officers choose to require retainage, it can be set below 10%. “It shocked me … I couldn’t let it go unchallenged.” — Paul Renker, Architect The new rule also clarifies that “any amounts retained should not be held over beyond the satisfactory completion” of the contract. Previously, retainage could be held until completion. Small businesses applaud the
Planners at Texas Children’s Hospitals think big. Already the largest children’s hospital in the United States, the Houston-based hospital set out to further build on its vast resources with Vision 2010, a $1.5-billion expansion program.
Between the Obama administration and Democratic majorities in Congress, construction unions have had the political wind at their backs for more than a year. But with industry unemployment just under 25%, labor hopes the winds of change won’t hit Capitol Hill during November’s midterm elections. Photo: Bruce Buckley/ENR Energy Chief Chu noted nuclear projects. With a mission to keep its momentum going, hundreds of construction union leaders met in Washington, D.C., for their annual legislative conference on April 18-21. Labor leaders savored such policy victories as the repeal of the Bush- era ban on federal project labor agreements and pushing
If tough economic times test a company’s mettle, then Clark Construction Group can expect to remain a steadfast market leader for years to come. As the financial world breakdown continued and more new development opportunities eroded in 2009, the Bethesda, Md.-based contractor banked on a solid backlog of multi-year megaprojects and took in a record-setting $2.9 billion in regional revenue. Slide Show In the fall, Clark began construction on the $435-million 1.2-million-sq-ft U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, which is partially funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Related Links: Top Contractors Grunley Construction Co. Mid Eastern Builders Daniel
Despite a recession that put a stranglehold on private development, some Virginia contractors continue to breathe easier thanks to the major public and institutional work that has flowed through the state in recent years. Mortenson Construction is aiming for a 2012 completion of the $275-million Martha Jefferson Hospital replacement in Charlottesville, Va. In 2009, KBS of Richmond broke ground on the $51.5-million Henrico County High School #1 in Richmond. The two-story, 255,000-sq-ft facility will complete in June. Related Links: Crunch Time for BRAC But as billions in federal funding comes to an end and state coffers dry up in the
Large contractors are putting a new standard for productivity measurement to the test in the hope of producing better project process controls. The new standard, which was adopted last fall as ASTM E2691, focuses on methods for continuously measuring productivity losses to allow for corrective actions during a project. Measurement system promises better project information on productivity. Perry Daneshgari, a management consultant based in Flint, Mich., who developed the standard in conjunction with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), says the standard measures work performed compared to construction-put-in-place. Daneshgari says companies often are mistakenly “measuring production, not productivity.”
Top executives who banked on big bonuses during the boom years have seen a significant portion of their compensation packages washed away during the current recession. Related Links: Economics: Despite Upturn in Steel, Lumber and Energy Prices Deflation Sweeps Cost Index Board Markets: Survey Shows Contractor Confidence Slowly Rising Homebuilding: Lumber, Wallboard Prices Perk up With Modest Rebound Glass: Recession Shatters Prices, More Cuts Expected During 2010 Methodolgy: What is Driving Costs> ENR's Complete First Quarterly Cost Report 2010 City Indexes: Inflation from Atlanta to Seattle and L.A. to Boston Stats: How to use ENRs indexes How to Find Cost
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation awarded $1.5 billion in grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to 51 projects in 41 states and the District of Columbia on Feb. 17, underscoring the Obama administration’s transportation priorities. The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery funds, known as TIGER grants, target projects that USDOT identified as being “major national and regional transportation projects that are in many cases difficult to pursue through other government funding programs.” Although a mix of transportation modes received grants that range from $3.15 million to $105 million, freight-rail and transit projects received the largest individual grants. Unlike