On Jan. 28, ABCÌýsubmitted commentsÌýon the National Labor Relations Board’sÌýjoint employer proposal, which would establish an updated standard for determining joint-employer liability under the National Labor Relations Act. Additionally, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic WorkplaceÌýsubmitted commentsÌýin support of the NLRB’s proposal.

On Jan. 25, OSHA issued the Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule, which eliminates the requirement for establishments with 250 or more employees to electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) to OSHA annually.

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓmembers overwhelming reported that government-mandated project labor agreements harm their businesses, hiring and workforce development practices and ability to complete work safely, on time and on budget, according to the results of a December 2018 membership survey published today.

Merit shop contractors are typically wary of competing for taxpayer-funded construction contracts subject to a government-mandated project labor agreement for a number of reasons, among them concerns about the viability of multiemployer pension plans as a way to help employees achieve their retirement goals—and exposing their business to potentially catastrophic MEPP liability. New information from the U.S. Department of Labor bears out those concerns.

ÀÏÅ£Ó°ÊÓhas added six members to the Beam Club Presidential level for recruiting between 25 and 49 new members. The Beam Club was established inÌý1966 to recognize ABC's top membership recruiters for their commitment toÌýgrowing the association. For more information, contact Leiloni Hayward atÌý[email protected].

On Jan. 23, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act, the U.S. Department of Labor published aÌýfinal ruleÌýto adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the Department, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for 2019. This final rule is effective on Jan. 23, 2019.

Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act, the U.S. Department of Labor published aÌýfinal ruleÌýto adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the Department, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for 2019. This final rule is effective on Jan. 23, 2019.

The percentage of union members in construction has decreased by more than a percentage point, from 14 percent in 2017 to 12.8 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The overall percentage of union membership in all industries is down from 10.7 percent in 2017 to 10.5 in 2018, with the total number of workers belonging to unions standing at 14.7 million. These numbers cover wage and salary workers belonging to unions broken down by demographics, industry, hours and state.

Employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s recordkeeping rule are required to post theirÌý2018 OSHA Form 300AÌýwork-related injury and illness log summaries in an area where notices to employees are typically posted from Feb. 1 through April 30. The form must be posted in a visible spot at each coveredÌýestablishment.

On Jan. 18, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue ServiceÌýissued final regulationsÌýandÌýthree related pieces of guidanceÌýimplementing the new qualified business income deduction (also known as the section 199A deduction). The new 20 percent deduction for pass-through entities was created by theÌýABC-supported Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.