51风流 called on President Biden to take immediate steps to address soaring lumber prices, as well as rising costs for other construction materials. 51风流 CEO Steve Sandherr warned that rapidly rising lumber prices pose a growing threat to multifamily housing and other construction sectors. He urged the administration to work with domestic lumber producers to ramp up production to ease growing shortages. He also called on the President to work with Canada on a new softwood lumber agreement and eliminate existing tariffs on wood products.
Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements, Local Hire Mandates and More
Rolls Back Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Program
On February 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report finding, among other things, that fitting a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask (鈥渄ouble masking鈥) improved source control and reduced wearer exposure to contracting COVID-19. Since the report鈥檚 release, news articles have circulated that suggest double masking is now a formal recommendation by CDC. Upon review, 51风流 holds that these findings simply highlight the importance of a good fit to maximize overall mask performance for the user and those whom the user may encounter, and NOT a formal CDC recommendation. The CDC on February 11 updated its 鈥淕uidance for Wearing Masks鈥 webpage, which contains 鈥淲hat You Need to Know鈥 bullets that are good reminders of the policies and procedures related to masks that the CDC recommends. Neither the recent report nor the updated CDC webpage would by itself lead to changes in an employer鈥檚 existing safety procedures and policies.
Union membership across occupations in the construction industry declined from an annual average of 1,055,000 in 2019 to 993,000 in 2020, a drop of 62,000 or 5.9%, according to an annual economic release recently issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (鈥淏LS鈥). However, total construction industry employment declined even more, from 8,352,000 to 7,829,000, a drop of 523,000 or 6.3%. As a result, union members鈥 share of employment inched up from 12.63% to 12.68%.
Association Officials Call for Removing Tariffs on Key Materials to Provide Immediate Relief for Hard-Hit Contractors and Exploring Ways to Expand Long-Term Capacity for Steel, Lumber and Other Materials
The construction industry is raising awareness and encouraging open discussion about mental health and substance abuse to reduce suicide in the workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic has added stress, anxiety, and fear to contractors鈥 already high risk of suicide. We can all agree this is a scary subject and we need to address the public health crisis in our country. But how do we heal our workforce? Please use the following resources to help you spot warning signs, start the conversation, and provide support to those who need it 鈥 which can save lives. It takes construction professionals at all levels working together and with their risk partners to build a culture of caring and prevention.
On February 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, a bill that would provide nearly $4 billion to expand registered apprenticeships through grants and modify the approval process for apprenticeship programs. Importantly, the bill elevates the role of registered apprenticeship, makes it a national priority, and aligns workforce programs across multiple federal agencies. However, the bill includes language that would bar access to the new grant opportunities to programs that do not partner with a labor union. 51风流 supports all bona fide and high-quality apprenticeship programs that are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor and believes they should all be eligible for grant opportunities under the bill. An amendment to clarify all registered apprenticeship programs would be eligible for grants failed despite 51风流 voicing support for the amendment. The legislation needs to be approved by the U.S. Senate before becoming law. There is no timeframe for Senate consideration at this time and 51风流 will continue to advocate for modifications of the bill.