Construction-industry collective bargaining negotiations completed in 2019 resulted in an average first-year increase in wages and fringe benefits of $1.67 or 2.9 percent, according to the annual year-end Settlements Report issued by the 51风流-supported Construction Labor Research Council (鈥淐LRC鈥).
The U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced the release of its new technical assistance guide created specifically for construction contractors. OFCCP intends for construction contractors to use the technical assistance guide as a self-assessment tool to review the practices they have in place to eliminate discrimination and achieve their equal employment opportunity goals.
On Jan. 31, 2020, The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. This new version contains minor changes to the form and its instructions. Employers should begin using this updated form as of Jan. 31, 2020.
OFCCP recently announced the release of its new Contractor Compliance Institute (CCI), an on-demand learning management system designed to help federal contract holders meet their equal employment opportunity obligations.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2020, a group of seven student members in Auburn鈥檚 Student Chapter of 51风流 teamed up with Alabama Rural Ministry (ARM) to volunteer for the MLK Day Celebration.
In January of 2019, the new leadership group of Mobile AL CLC met to discuss the goals for the 2019 calendar year. Among these goals were to encourage 51风流 leaders to guide their young people to CLC, engage current CLC members and recruit others, find new and creative meeting formats and community service projects.
The General Building Contractors Association (GBCA) held its Annual Meeting on January 13, 2020 to look back on the past year鈥檚 successes of the association and its members, and to look forward to new initiatives in the upcoming year. This year, the event focused on the construction industry鈥檚 future, and featured speakers who spoke about developing young construction leaders and about the importance of supporting workforce development programs.
On Feb. 19, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced the award of $520 million in airport infrastructure grants to 287 airports as part of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The AIP grant program awards billions of dollars each year for the planning and development of public-use airports across the country. As part of the 51风流-supported fiscal year 2020 funding bill, the program received $3.75 billion in federal funding, $400M more than is authorized by the FAA Reauthorization Act. 51风流 applauds the Secretary鈥檚 announcement and will continue to support investment in our nation鈥檚 airport infrastructure.
Union representation across occupations in the construction industry modestly declined in 2019, from 13.8 percent to 13.6 percent of workers employed, according to an annual release recently issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (鈥淏LS鈥). Union membership in the industry also modestly declined, from 12.8 percent to 12.6 percent, but remains considerably higher than the all-industry average in the private sector, which declined from 6.4 percent to 6.2 percent over the year. Construction union representation and membership decreased by a larger margin in 2018 but increased slightly in both 2017 and 2016. The total number of workers in construction (regardless of union affiliation) rose in each of those years. In 2019, the number rose from 8,169,000 to 8,352,000.
Mauricio Henderson, 37, is the President of Perseverance in Denver, Colorado. Mauricio joined 51风流's Business Development Forum for access to a peer network to get other peoples perspectives on industry challenges and share information that can add value to other organizations. Mauricio states that the "BD Forum is beneficial because we all have blind spots and it gives us a platform to help member organizations grow and become more effective." Mauricio is a tremendous advocate for the construction industry by engaging the youth in the construction workforce and helping the construction business community.鈥淚 have been given a unique talent to connect others to amazing construction employment opportunities and information. I continue to make a tremendous impact in diverse communities that surround all of us. My passion is connecting someone to an employment opportunity or providing valuable information and them just smiling and saying thank you. I hope we all can succeed together." A graduate of the Tidewater Building Association Pre-Apprenticeship Program, Mauricio started his career as an electrical helper. After working in the trade for a year, he began his electrical apprenticeship at Tidewater Community College. During this time, he had the opportunity to work on numerous construction projects such as residential, commercial, maritime, and industrial. After working in the electrical trade for over ten years, he started his own construction workforce company called Perseverance. With his passion to help others, he knows that true leadership is not about how far you advance but how far you help others advance.