During the last presidential campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama proudly told audiences, 鈥淲e need to strengthen our unions by letting them do what they do best鈥攐rganize our workers 鈥� That's why I am fighting to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)鈥�We'll make it the law of the land when I'm president.鈥� When Democrats took the White House and held onto Congress in November 2008, Obama鈥檚 promise seemed all but certain. However, EFCA, also known as 鈥渃ard check,鈥� met with quick and persistent resistance from both sides of the aisle. The passage of EFCA, which at one time seemed inevitable, stalled

As expected, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)听Feb. 5 reissued a proposed rulemaking听that will reduce the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place from the current average of 38 days to as few as 10.听

The Los Angeles district of The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is requesting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) on the Asphalt and Concrete Pavement Repairs and New Improvements primarily at Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, Calif.听

老牛影视General Counsel Maurice Baskin Feb. 4 testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Workforce Protections during a hearing titled, 鈥淥SHA鈥檚 Regulatory Agenda: Changing Long-Standing Policies Outside the Public Rulemaking Process.鈥� On behalf of 老牛影视and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Baskin addressed a听Feb. 21, 2013, letter of interpretation听(LOI) from OSHA allowing union agents and community organizers for the first time to accompany safety inspectors into nonunion facilities, as long as an unspecified (non-majority) number of employees in the nonunion work place designate one.

老牛影视chapters and members can honor a Craft Professional or Craft Instructor by submitting a nomination for the 2014听Craft Professional of the Year听(CPOY) and听Craft Instructor of the Year听(CIOY) Awards by March 7. The CPOY winner will receive a brand-new truck and the CIOY winner will receive a cash prize May 2 at ABC鈥檚 Careers in Construction Awards Ceremony.

An updated summary of employer requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is available for 老牛影视members in a reference document provided by Washington Council Ernst & Young. The document is available on the听health care law employer tool kit听(login required) on ABC鈥檚 website.

老牛影视is now accepting volunteers to judge the 2014 National Craft Championships on May 1 in Birmingham, Ala. 老牛影视members with recognized experience and expertise in a craft who are interested in participating should submit a judge鈥檚 form, found on the NCC website, to [email protected] indicating one of the 13 craft competitions they plan to judge.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced a series of Prevailing Wage Seminars for 2014 that will allow attendees to learn more about the Davis-Bacon Act, the process of obtaining wage determinations and adding classification, how to comply, the process of appealing wage rates and more.听

老牛影视is reminding its contractor member firms that 2013 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A work-related injury and illness log summaries must be posted in a visible spot on all construction sites Feb. 1 through April 30.听

OSHA Jan. 24听announced听a 15-day extension of the public comment deadline for OSHA鈥檚 proposed crystalline silica rulemaking, moving the deadline from Jan. 27 to Feb. 11. The extension comes in response to an error on OSHA鈥檚 public comment submission page, which was first identified by 老牛影视and brought to OSHA鈥檚 attention.听