Month: April 2020

Associated General Contractors of America Organized the Nationwide Safety Stand Down to Make Sure Firms and Workers Know, and Follow, All Coronavirus-Related Safety Procedures and Practices

Hundreds of construction firms across the country are stopping work today to hold what are called safety stand downs focusing on ways to protect construction workers and the public from the spread of coronavirus. The safety stand down, which was organized by the Associated General Contractors of America, was designed to make sure firms and workers are taking measures outlined by public health and safety officials to protect workers on active construction sites and the public.

“Construction firms across the country understand that the public is counting on them to protect workers and nearby communities from the spread of the coronavirus,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Today’s safety stand downs were designed to make sure everyone working in construction knows, and follows, coronavirus safety measures.”

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Association Officials Urge Quick Enactment of Infrastructure Investment, Relief for Hard-Hit Firms and Pensions in Order to Save Jobs in Construction and Supplier Industries

More than a quarter of construction firms responding to an online survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America last week reported they had furloughed or terminated jobsite workers because of the coronavirus pandemic. The finding contrasts starkly with the association’s analysis of government data released today that showed a majority of the nation’s metro areas added construction jobs through February.

“The metro-level employment data show that construction was still growing strongly in many parts of the country in February, immediately before the pandemic forced contractors to shut down projects and…Read full article here.

The federal government recently released a list detailing “critical infrastructure industries” whose workers are “essential” and should continue normal work schedules. Although the document lists industries for which construction is absolutely critical, our industry was not explicitly included. Even though the list “is not, nor should it be considered to be, a federal directive or standard in and of itself,” some states have/are considering it for determining which industries can go to work amid state and local COVID-19 responses to shelter in place, among other policies.

AGC of America has continually sought to make clear that our industry is essential to responding to and recovering from this virus in the following ways:

• Received broad media coverage of its release detailing how counter intuitive it is to shut down construction projects and the industry itself during a pandemic.
• Partnered with the buildings trades unions in a joint release—showing that management and labor agree—that construction must be included as an essential service able to operate during COVID-19-related shutdowns.
• Partnered with construction business organizations in a letter to the White House in underscoring the essential need for the construction industry to work during this crisis.
  Communicated to the Republican and Democratic Governors’ Associations these same messages.

Please join us in telling President Trump and Congress to treat the construction industry and the work it performs as vital and essential to the critical industries that must remain in operation to respond to this pandemic and crises to come. To ensure this is the case, the federal government must issue guidance classifying construction as a critical infrastructure industry whose workers are essential. Click here and simply submit the pre-written message as is to President Trump and your members of Congress or customize it with personal information on how this issue impacts you and your employer. You can view the real-time activity on this action alert here.

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced new action regarding how American workers and employers will benefit from the protections and relief offered by the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, both part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted a temporary rule issuing regulations pursuant to this new law, effective today, April 1, 2020.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also issued “COVID-19-Related Tax Credits for Required Paid Leave Provided by Small and Midsize Businesses FAQs”. FFCRA provides small and midsize employers refundable tax credits that reimburse them for the cost of providing paid sick and family leave wages to their employees for leave related…Read Full Article Here.

Survey Finds Contractors Face Shortages of Materials and Workers, Delivery Delays and Cancellations;  Association Officials Urge Additional Measures to Help Workers, Firms and the Economy to Recover

Construction spending in February increased 6.0 percent from February 2019, with year-over-year gains in both residential and nonresidential outlays, according to a new analysis of federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned that their latest survey shows conditions for contractors have deteriorated rapidly since February. They called on Congress to urgently pass targeted recovery measures to boost infrastructure funding, compensate firms for lost or delayed federally funded work, and provide needed pension relief.

“Spending in February declined 1.3 percent from an upwardly revised, exceptionally strong pace in January that was aided by unusually mild winter weather in much of the country,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Together, the rate in the first two months of 2020 represents a high-water mark immediately before government officials ordered widespread business closures and project owners canceled or halted work on their sites. The survey we conducted March 23 to 26 found that 39 percent of the more than 1600 respondents said they had been directed to stop work on one or more projects.”

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