The U.S. Senate on July 18 approved the nomination of Thomas E. Perez to be the nation’s 26th Secretary of Labor. Perez has spent his entire career in public service, and will join the department on July 23 after an impressive tenure as the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Join us in San Diego, CA for the 15th Annual NAFC Conference
NAFC is holding its 15th Annual Conference this year in the beautiful city of San Diego, CA, October 9 – 11, 2013.
The NAFC Conference provides a national forum for those committed to combating noncompliance of state and federal public contracting laws and draws attendance from contractors, labor unions, fair contracting organizations, attorneys and various officials from local, state and federal governments around the nation.
Tennessee OSHA & Workers’ Comp Join Forces to Educate Employers on New Reform Bill
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development announces a series of seminars across the state explaining the Workers’ Compensation Reform Act of 2013. The Workers’ Compensation division and TOSHA will team up with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce to deliver these seminars to educate and inform employers about the impact of the bill, including ways to avoid workplace injuries and to better handle them if they occur.
The information shared will be valuable to business owners, managers, HR professionals, and anyone involved in the administration of workers’ compensation claims.
Prevailing Wages Will Lift San Diego Economy
This is a historic moment for public works in the city of San Diego. After decades of neglect, the city is intending to rebuild our streets, sidewalks, storm-drains, libraries and parks, and replace an aging water-wastewater system. In the coming fiscal year, the city is proposing over $330 million in capital improvement projects.
The city will be requiring the application of state prevailing wages to all public works contracts. This is intended to multiply the benefits of the taxpayer investment within the local community. After five decades of virtually exempting itself from prevailing wages, this reversal is the hallmark of new leadership in City Hall that wants to create good jobs, and generate long-term value in the spending of our construction dollars.
Defender of the Prevailing Wage Act speaks up
It has become accepted among several elected and politically appointed officials to spout how much better we would be without unions to hold us back. Recently, in Pennsylvania, there was a movement attempting to pass a resolution that would allow school districts and municipalities to exempt themselves from the Prevailing Wage Act of Aug. 15, 1961. The original Act was instituted to protect local wages and standards that were negotiated for the benefit of the territory that they covered. This Act standardized wages and benefits on public work projects, so out-of-state contractors could not, unfairly, underbid local contractors that support local worker
Oregon Senate Okays Bill Requiring Prevailing Wage
The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will require contractors who do business with the Oregon University System to follow prevailing wage laws. House Bill 2646 received a 27-2 vote and will head to the House for approval. Oregon is one of 32 states to have a state-level prevailing wage, which is required on all state and local building projects. House Bill 2646 adds universities projects to the list.
Stalemate at Metropolitan Sewer District – Ohio
At $3.2 billion and an estimated 15- to 20-year time frame for completion, Cincinnati’s project to retrofit and replace its sewers is one of the most expansive in the city’s history. But the sewer project, which is part of a mandate from the federal government, is now facing major hurdles as the city and county dispute how contracts for the project should be awarded and whether the government should be more involved in dictating how contractors train their employees.
Most recently, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners put an unprecedented funding hold on all sewer projects until Cincinnati changes its “responsible bidder” law, which City Council unanimously passed in June 2012 and modified in May this year.
Rep. Matt A. Szollosi Resigns as Assistant Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Rep.
Former Speaker Pro Tem Takes Helm at ACT Ohio
May 31, 2013 (Columbus, Ohio)
Today, Rep. Matthew A. Szollosi officially resigned his seat in the Ohio House of Representatives to become the Executive Director of the Affiliated Construction Trades, or ACT Ohio. Szollosi, 39, also recently left the law the Law Offices of D’Angelo, Szollosi & Hughes Co., L.P.A. for the full-time post.
According to Szollosi, “ACT Ohio is a 501(c)(5) organization created to advance quality economic and industrial development opportunities, and to promote industry best practices for Ohio’s public and private construction projects.”
Szollosi, who has specialized in construction law for close to 15 years, believes many of Ohio’s business and elected leaders are unaware of the industry’s investment in 501(c)(5) and its unwavering commitment to safety. “My job is to change that. There’s simply no question that contractors with a highly skilled and properly trained workforce will yield the best, most cost-effective results for the customer, which is our goal.”
ACT Ohio will also seek enforcement of state and federal construction laws designed and implemented to prevent the undercutting of area standards for wages and benefits on taxpayer funded projects, said Szollosi.
“I look forward to working closely with my friends and colleagues in Ohio and through our network of professionals with the National Alliance for Fair Contracting as well.”
Workers’ Pay Should Not Fund ABC Sham Labor Compliance Committee’s
Anti-union contractors deduct earnings from workers’ paychecks. They use the money to fund committees that falsely claim to be about labor compliance, but actually exist solely to further the anti-union contractors’ political interests. Then they claim that expense as a fringe benefit to the worker, which they use to reduce the amount they are legally required to pay the worker under California’s prevailing wage law.
Unfortunately, a loophole in current law allows that deceptive and unfair scenario to happen. And the Associated Builders and Contractors (“ABC”) and their friends are all too happy to exploit it.
Sign Up Today and Activate Your 2013 NAFC Membership
NAFC is a labor-management alliance dedicated to assisting fair contracting organizations, contractors, and labor unions who are working hard to promote compliance and further educate those that are involved in publicly funded construction. NAFC and its affiliates need your support to assist us in those efforts. An annual membership fee of only $850.00 will give you full access to the materials available to better promote labor law compliance and help us provide educational platforms such as our annual conference. With your assistance, we can achieve the goal of making a difference in the labor industry and in helping to restore the middle class.
Join us today by clicking on the membership form below and submit your check for $850.00 for your annual dues.
Please make checks payable to:
National Alliance for Fair Contracting or NAFC
905 – 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Please be advised that a fee of membership in the National Alliance for Fair Contracting is not deductible for tax purposes under IRC § 6113.