Prevailing Wage and the Inflation Reduction Act

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

November 29, 2022 – USDOL

On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed Public Law 117-369, 136 Stat. 1818, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, into law. The Inflation Reduction Act is by far our nation’s largest investment in clean energy to date. By pairing climate investment with the creation of good-paying jobs, the Inflation Reduction Act’s unparalleled investments to fight the climate crisis will help improve job quality in clean energy industries and incentivize the expansion of workforce training pathways into these jobs.

Critical to providing good paying jobs, the Inflation Reduction Act offers enhanced tax benefits for a range of clean energy projects when taxpayers pay Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wages and utilize registered apprentices, in accordance with the Inflation Reduction Act.

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On November 30, 2022, the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will publish guidance on the Inflation Reduction Act’s prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. The publication of this guidance means that in order to receive increased incentives, taxpayers must meet the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for facilities where construction begins on or after January 29, 2023.

The U.S. Department of Labor invites you to register for one of two educational webinars on the labor standards provisions contained in the Inflation Reduction Act and Treasury Guidance. The webinars are being offered at the following times:

Register Now: Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 1–2:30 p.m. EST
Register Now: Thursday, Dec. 15 from 1–2:30 p.m. EST

If you require an accommodation or language interpretation to attend this listening session, please email whd-events@dol.gov at least five (5) business days prior to the event so we can make arrangements.

Please direct any questions to WHD-Events@dol.gov.

Columbus council creates advisory committee for diversity hiring on construction projects

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

New panel to recommend city diversity targets on union construction projects costing over $5 million

Bill Bush | The Columbus Dispatch
Nov. 15, 2022

The Columbus City Council on Monday created a nine-member committee designed to make recommendations on adding goals for hiring female, minority and local workers on larger city construction projects that utilize “project labor agreements,” which are pre-hire agreements with trade unions.

The new Community Benefits Agreement Advisory Committee will make nonbinding recommendations to the mayor on when such inclusion goals should be sought from construction companies and labor unions. But it doesn’t appear the city will have to worry about unwelcome proposals: four of the nine members will represent the mayor’s office or various departments under the mayor, while the fifth and deciding member will represent City Council.

The other four committee members will represent trade unions and “groups historically underrepresented” in the construction industry, the ordinance says.

The committee can also review plans and make recommendations on how newly constructed facilities get used, and on mitigation of the effects of construction on the neighborhood. It can make recommendations on dedicating green space, sports courts and occasional uses of the new space for art or youth programming, the ordinance says.

“This new chapter will promote a diverse workforce, efficient construction timelines, greater consideration of environmental impacts, and overall community benefits related to large city construction projects and renovation projects,” Council member Rob Dorans, who is employed as an attorney for a labor union, said during the meeting.

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