ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓis now accepting volunteers to judge the 2014 National Craft Championships on May 1 in Birmingham, Ala. ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓmembers with recognized experience and expertise in a craft who are interested in participating should submit a judge’s 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.Ìý

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓis 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.Ìý

OSHA Jan. 24ÌýannouncedÌýa 15-day extension of the public comment deadline for OSHA’s proposed crystalline silica rulemaking, moving the deadline from Jan. 27 to Feb. 11. The extension comes in response to an error on OSHA’s public comment submission page, which was first identified by ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓand brought to OSHA’s attention.Ìý

OSHA held an informal public meeting Jan. 9 and 10 in Washington, D.C., to receive public feedback on aÌýproposed ruleÌýthat would require employers to submit to the agency electronically detailed injury and illness data that would be made publicly available through an online database. Employer groups, including the ABC-led Coalition for Workplace Safety (CWS), took the opportunity to express serious concerns over OSHA’s proposal.Ìý

Associated Builders and Contractor’s (ABC)Ìý2014 Workforce Development ConferenceÌýis now open for registration. The conference, held April 29-May 2 in Birmingham, Ala., features more than 40 sessions covering a range of topics from project management, safety, workforce development, productivity and association management.Ìý

The National Labor Relations Board Jan. 22 formallyÌýwithdrewÌýits modified ambush elections rule, which would have reduced the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place to as few as 17 days.Ìý

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓis nowÌýaccepting nominationsÌýfor theÌý2014 Craft Professional of the Year AwardÌý(CPOY) which honors an individual who exhibits outstanding skills and leadership and demonstrates a passion for their job in the field and giving back to the community. The winner will receive a brand new truck and a feature article in Construction Executive highlighting their hard work and dedication to the industry.Ìý

President Obama Jan.17 signed into law a $1.01 trillion omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3547) that funds all federal agencies for fiscal year 2014. The Senate Jan. 16 passed the appropriations bill by a 72-26 vote and the House Jan. 15, passed the bill by a 359-67 vote. The legislation includes funding decreases for many federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board.

ABC’s latest member program,ÌýProject Virtual, is now offering courses on BIM training and solutions to help ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓcontractors better plan, build, and manage their building and infrastructure projects.Ìý