51·çÁ÷

Collective bargaining negotiations in the construction industry settled between January and September of this year resulted in an average first-year wage-and-benefits increase of $1.01 or 2.2 percent, according to the latest Settlements Report issued by the 51·çÁ÷-supported Construction Labor Research Council.  For newly negotiated multi-year contracts, the average second-year increase was $1.12 or 2.4 percent, and the average third-year increase was $1.10 or 2.3 percent.  As percentages, the averages negotiated for contract years one and two are higher than averages for those contract years negotiated throughout 2011, but the average for year three is higher than in 2011.  In straight dollar amounts, the new average increase is higher than in 2011 for year one but is lower for years two and three.  Negotiation of zero-percent increases was less common this year than last year.

51·çÁ÷ of America will provide its latest training on federal prevailing wage laws in a two-part webinar on Dec. 11 and 13, 2012, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. EST.  The format is different from previous years, offering new information for everyone involved in compliance with the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) on federal and federally assisted construction projects.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has taken over enforcement of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  As a result, beginning Jan. 1, 2013, employers must use updated Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) notices to reflect the change.

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that a construction contractor’s efforts to terminate a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and withdraw from a multiemployer group were ineffective and that the contractor was bound to a subsequent labor agreement negotiated by the multiemployer association. 

Whether it’s an earthquake, blizzard, bush fire or hurricane, sometimes Mother Nature unexpectedly interrupts the flow of the work week.   As government officials and disaster recovery experts encourage workers to stay home, companies are left to determine if and how employees will be compensated when a company or project is shut down, during and immediately following a natural disaster. 

If your firm contributes to a multiemployer pension plan, then make sure you’re prepared for new accounting standards.  A new standard issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board requirements (FASB No. 2011-09) requires employers that participate in multiemployer pension plans to provide additional quantitative and qualitative disclosures in their financial statements.  Firms must comply with new disclosure requirements for reporting periods ending after Dec. 15, 2012.

Registration is now open for the Associated General Contractors of America’s (51·çÁ÷) 2012 HR Professionals Conference and Training, Education & Development (TED) Conference.   For 2012, the conferences will be co-located in San Antonio, Texas, with the TED Conference beginning on the morning of Monday, Oct. 15, lasting to midday on Oct. 16, and the HR Professionals Conference beginning on the morning of Oct. 16, and concluding at noon on Oct. 17.

On September 5, 2012, 51·çÁ÷ hosted a webinar on the Essential Safety Matters for HR:  Working Together to Keep Employees Safe and the Company Litigation-Free.  An on-demand version of the webinar is available for purchase from the 51·çÁ÷ Bookstore. 

Volatile financial markets and changing worker demographics have lead to funding shortfalls in construction-industry multiemployer pension plans that cannot easily be corrected by only increasing contribution rates, explains a report recently released by the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and Horizon Actuarial Services.  The Inventory of Construction Industry Pension Plans, 2012 Edition contains an inventory of historical data for all multiemployer pension plans in the construction industry (not just mechanical trades).  It summarizes and analyzes key trends in plan demographics, cash flows, investments, funding, and expenses from 2001 through 2010 based on Form 5500 filings. 

There is still time to register for 51·çÁ÷’s 2012 HR Professionals Conference, Training, Education & Development (TED) Conference, and Federal Construction HR Workshop, but the hotel discount ends Friday, Sept. 14, so act fast.  Room rates are just $119 per night.