On November 19, 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) along with two agencies housed under its umbrella, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), hosted a workforce symposium in Washington, D.C., which  Â鶹ÊÓƵ attended along with approximately 200 of the nation's top immigration lawyers, employer associations, and a handful of employers. With high-ranking DHS officials in attendance, including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton, and USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, the symposium was designed to increase the dialogue between DHS and employers across the country.
Are you or your company facing federal prevailing wage laws for the first time? With the downturn in the availability of commercial work, many construction contractors are bidding on federal and federally-assisted work, and having to comply with the Davis Bacon and Related Acts for the first time. The application of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to all projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 leaves many contractors uncertain about the requirements of federal prevailing wage laws and the consequences of non-compliance. To help, Â鶹ÊÓƵ is offering a three-part webinar series during which industry experts, including the head of enforcement for the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage & Hour Division (WHD) and the head of the Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations division of WHD, will provide the information necessary to understand the specific requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts in a contractor-friendly manner.Â
Â鶹ÊÓƵ recently held its joint 2009 HR Professionals and Training & Development Conference in Atlanta. More than 175 people attended to learn, share best practices, network and take home practical solutions to HR and training problems.
On October 28, 2009, President Obama signed into law the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (2010 NDAA), which expands the recently-enacted exigency and caregiver leave provisions for military families under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The law took effect immediately.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is calling on employers to enact a written policy that prohibits employees from using a phone or messaging device while driving. Resources for developing such a policy are available on the Secretary's blog.The Drive Against Distraction program is aimed at keeping everyone safe on the nation's roads. Employers that embrace this plan are encouraged to write about it on the Secretary's blog.
Open-shop contractors planning to provide raises to skilled craft workers in 2009 expect to raise wages by an average of 2.88 percent, according to the latest Merit Shop Craft Survey report issued by PAS, Inc. When data from contractors not planning raises are included, the overall anticipated increase averages only 1.96 percent. This compares to actual increases of 4.1 percent (excluding zero-increases) and 3.7 percent (including zero-increases) in 2008, and represents the lowest average increases seen in over 15 years. Based on historical experience and other factors, however, PAS projects that increases will actually end up in the range of 2.3-2.8 percent nationally, and even higher in a few high-demand areas. Although the demand for skilled trades has been limited in most areas of the country so far this year, high demand continues in pockets of the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions, PAS found.
December 3, 2009 | December 8, 2009 | December 10, 2009
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Are you or your company facing federal prevailing wage laws for the first time? With the downturn in the availability of commercial work, many construction contractors are bidding on federal and federally-assisted work, and having to comply with the Davis Bacon and Related Acts for the first time. The application of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to all projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is also responsible for leaving many contractors uncertain about the requirements of federal prevailing wage laws and the consequences of non-compliance. Industry experts, including the head of enforcement for the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage & Hour Division (WHD) and the head of the Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations division of WHD, will provide you and your members with the information necessary to understand the specific requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts in a contractor-friendly manner.Â
Â鶹ÊÓƵ held a regional meeting with the National Construction Alliance II (NCAII) on October 2 in Seattle, WA. Members and chapter staff from collective bargaining chapters in the Northwest attended, along with International Union of Operating Engineers General President Vince Giblin, United Brotherhood of Carpenters General President Doug McCarron, Union Contractors Committee Chairman Jim Clemens, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Union Contractors Committee Staff Associate Denise Gold, NCAII Executive Vice President Ray Poupore, and other leaders from NCAII, the Operating Engineers, and the Carpenters.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a final rule rescinding the so-called "No-Match rule" first issued in August 2007 and supplemented in October 2008. The final rule is the same as the proposed rule issued in August 2009.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ of America, in cooperation with Â鶹ÊÓƵ of New Hampshire, sent a letter last week to the Department of Labor expressing concerns about the agency's decision to include a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate in solicitations related to the construction of a new Job Corps Center in Manchester, N.H., and demanding information about the agency's justification and decision-making process.