On Friday, April 26, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) once and for all denied a 2014 petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to list discarded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 51风流 has previously reported on this issue when 51风流 submitted comments to the EPA, and when there was a tentative ruling from EPA siding with 51风流. This win comes in a large part thanks to the nearly 2,000 51风流 members who took action and encouraged EPA not to move forward with regulating PVC.
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Newly final rule expected to trigger third-party lawsuits
On Apr. 22, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council published a new rule requiring federal agencies to procure 鈥渟ustainable products and services鈥 to the maximum extent practicable effective May 22, 2024.
According to the latest Contractor Compensation Quarterly (CCQ) published by PAS, Inc., construction executive staff wage increases came in at 5.6% for 2023 and are also projected to rise by an average 4.7% by 2024 year-end. The actual 2023 increase compared to the 2023 projected increase was .9% higher, so it is possible we will see this same trend in 2024 (or not 鈥 see below). For comparison, WorldatWork is projecting a 4.1% average increase for all executives in 2024.
Expands Protections and Accommodations for Pregnant Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recently updated its Prevailing Wage Resource Book (PWRB). In light of the recent publication of the final rule, Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations, which took effect on October 23, 2023, WHD claims to have conducted a review of the PWRB to simplify the language, restructure the format in a more intuitive manner, and provide additional guidance and examples where stakeholders routinely requested clarification.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a final rule to Define and Delimit the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 51风流 of America recently urged the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 (DOL) Wage and Hour Division to abandon or at least postpone issuance of such a rule. The DOL last updated these regulations as recently as 2019, going into effect in 2020, which strongly suggests there is no need for urgency in issuing more changes.