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230 N. Washington Sq.
Suite 202
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 853-2545
Fax: (517) 853-2546
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Speaker Bolger: Prevailing Wage a Priority
Michigan State House Speaker Jase Bolger stated recently that a repeal of Michigan's outdated prevailing wage law is still under discussion.
In an interview with Gongwer News Service, Speaker Bolger discussed a repeal of prevailing wage, among other subjects. According to Gongwer, Mr. Bolger noted that a repeal "remains on the table for us."
Gongwer also quotes Mr. Bolger as saying that: "We are listening to constituents and listening to taxpayers. When you compare what they could have paid [without prevailing wage] versus what they are paying in many projects, taxpayers are forced to pay a lot more to carry a lot larger burden because of this mandate."
Although Mr. Bolger did not discuss a timeline for the legislation, he did note that discussion is still very active.
Chris Fisher, President of ABC of Michigan said, "I'm pleased to see that Speaker Bolger and the House Republican Caucus continue to work hard to improve Michigan's business climate. ABC of Michigan encourages all legislators to review the facts of Michigan's archaic and wasteful prevailing wage law, and pursue common sense and fiscal accountability by repealing this law."
Find out more about prevailing wage here.
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Dan Vos Construction wins 2013-2014 Michigan Contractor of the Year
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Dan Vos President
Dan Vos Construction Company
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ABC Western Michigan Chapter member company Dan Vos Construction Company was named the 2013-2014 Michigan Contractor of the Year (MCOY) by the American Subcontractors Association of Michigan at a gala event in Grand Rapids on October 14.
ASAM members vote online for candidates, with scoring in administrative procedures, bid ethics and practice, schedule coordination, safety, jobsite supervision, communication, project relations, lien processes, payment terms and quality workmanship.
Dan Vos Construction will now compete with members of the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) nationwide for the ASA National Construction Best Practices Awards,
which use industry best practices criteria to determine "superior" contractors. ASA will announce the winner in 2014.
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NLRB, OSHA, and E-Verify Reopen after Government Shutdown
The federal government reopened on Oct. 17 after a 16-day shutdown and agencies that either were not operating or were only partially operating during that time are back up and running. Here is some information on what ABC members can expect from a few of the agencies post-shutdown. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD (NLRB)The NLRB has announced that it will grant an extension of time to file or serve any document for which the grant of an extension is permitted by law. More information is available in a blog post by ABC's General Counsel Littler Mendelson.E-VERIFYThe Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) E-Verify program, which ceased to operate during the shutdown, is once again available for use by employers. DHS has released guidance for employers who were impacted by E-Verify's temporary unavailability. More information on that guidance also is available in a Littler Mendelson blog post. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)During the shutdown, OSHA furloughed the vast majority of its inspectors and was staffed at only about 10 percent. Now, the agency is again fully staffed and working on issues it was addressing before the shutdown, including moving forward with its rule on crystalline silica, over which ABC has expressed concern. In addition, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, DOL's Wage and Hour Division and the Office of Labor-Management Standards are all operating at pre-shutdown capacity and continuing to move forward on the actions listed in DOL's last regulatory agenda. |
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75% of ABC Companies have a Skilled Worker Shortage
According to a national survey of ABC members, 75 percent of respondents' companies are experiencing a shortage of willing and qualified craft professionals. These results support the findings of the Construction Labor Market Analyzers' 20/20 Foresight Report, which shows there will be a nationwide shortage of nearly 2 million skilled craft workers by 2017.
ABC reports that the worker shortage is likely the result of the nearly 30 percent of the construction workforce lost at the peak of the recession combined with an aging workforce, an insufficient pipeline of new workers and lost workers that moved on to other industries.
ABC and its 70 chapters have been working hard to close that gap through a combined effort of training, promoting construction as a viable career path and working with federal legislators to increase access to temporary workers.
ABC also supports U.S. immigration policy reform that facilitates a sustainable workforce. ABC and its members are encouraging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support a bill that includes an effective guest worker program that responds to labor market demand and does not burden the construction industry with inflexible requirements and arbitrary caps. The industry must be able to legally supplement its workforce when there are not a sufficient number of willing or able American workers to continue to meet U.S. construction demand.
In addition, ABC rewards exceptional craft trainees at its annual National Craft Championships, an intense two-day event, during which young men and women compete in one of 13 competitions representing 11 crafts. Information on the National Craft Championships is available here.
ABC also hosts a Student Chapter Construction Management Competition that allows construction management students to compete in a bid-day format that uses real-life examples of projects and scores them on their presentations.
All three Michigan chapters feature training and workforce development options for ABC members. Contact your chapter for more information.
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Michigan Members Featured in Construction Executive Magazine
Two ABC of Michigan members were recently noted in Construction Executive magazine's October 2013 feature on Hot Companies. Ten companies from across the nation received full-page features.
AbsolutAire, Inc., a Kalamazoo-based member of the Western Michigan Chapter, is a custom air management system company established in 1992. AbsolutAire is particularly noteworthy for having grown their company substantially in their 21-year history, from less than 20 to around 100 employees.
Macedonia, Ohio, is home to Tradesmen International, a company that focuses on construction labor solutions. Tradesmen is active in all three Michigan chapters, providing skilled workforce recruiting services. Also established in 1992, Tradesmen has more than 100 US offices and includes international clients as well.
Congratulations to these two great companies, and be sure to check out their profiles in your issue of Construction Executive along with the eight other featured companies.
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Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan is a statewide trade association, working in partnership with three local chapters, dedicated to providing Michigan with high-quality, affordable, safe and on-time construction. ABC of Michigan is an equal opportunity organization that opposes all discrimination in the construction industry including discrimination based on union affiliation. A leading construction industry voice with state government, ABC provides many member services including legislative advocacy, networking opportunities, member benefits, legal updates, business development and educational opportunities.
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