Construction Industry News

Think your inbox looks scary? Think again. The U.S Department of Labor (DOL) has received more than 300,000 comments in response to its proposed changes to its federal program for apprenticeships. Many of those comments came from employees in the construction industry.

Still catching up from the long weekend? We’re right there with ya. While we’re moving slow, let’s talk about something that doesn’t—high-speed light rails. Here are updates on four rail projects currently in process: 

The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) has awarded nearly $1.5 million in grant funding to organizations in Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin to help recruit, train and retain more women in quality pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. The grants will help women pursue careers in manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, health care and other industries. Details here. 

Epiroc, a productivity partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has introduced the Mining and Construction USA blog, a new information hub for the two industries. Visitors will discover content designed to help their operations increase productivity, safety and cost efficiency. They will also read about how to use latest advancements in technology to their full potential. More details here. 

Firms are boosting pay and benefits, adding new training programs and adopting new technologies to cope, but labor shortages threaten broader economic growth as officials outline federal measures to help with the skilled labor shortage. 

A federal judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has awarded $1,047,399 in lost wages and punitive damages to two former employees of a Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, manufacturer after a jury found the company and its owner fired them in retaliation for their participation in a federal safety investigation. Details here. 

Alloy steel pipe prices are seeing some upward pressure from rising nickel prices; however, carbon steel pipe prices remain flat due to weakness in demand from the upstream oil and gas sector and excess inventory level. Details here. 

To help address worker shortages, ICUEE 2019-The Demo Expowill host a special careers day at the show for hundreds of high school students to see the many rewarding industry careers available. Details here. 

North America's Building Trades Unions' President Sean McGarvey issued the following statement marking the end of the formal comment period on the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) proposed rule to dramatically alter the nation's apprenticeship system with a new proposal known as Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs):

Skanska has merged its Polish and Czech/Slovak construction operations into one business unit—Skanska Central Europe. Michal Jurka, the business unit president (BUP) of Czech and Slovak construction operations, becomes BUP of the unit, effective September 1, 2019. Details here. 

Among professional construction contractors who rented equipment in the past year, a majority expects to increase reliance on rental in the year ahead, according to a comprehensive survey of contractors released by the American Rental Association (ARA). Details here. 

Brickworks Property Restoration will pay $130,788 in back wages to 58 employees after the United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the employer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime and record-keeping provisions.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission has approved the Keystone XL Pipeline route through the state—one of three proposed routes included in the application filed by TransCanada. Details about the decision and the pipeline here. 

The SOGR Program provides funding to repair, replace or rehabilitate publicly or Amtrak owned or controlled railroad equipment, infrastructure and facilities. The SOGR Program is intended to improve intercity passenger rail performance. Eligible projects include upgrading infrastructure, such as track, switches, bridges and highway-rail grade crossings; stations; and equipment, including passenger cars.

The Department of Energy aims to use quantum dots and other novel technologies, advancing bioenergy research through an effort to reengineer plants and microbes for bioenergy conversion and production. 

July new business volume up 15% year-over-year, down 5% month-over-month and up 3 percent year-to-date. Details here. 

American Wood Council (AWC) President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Glowinski issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of the Plywood and Composite Wood Products (PCWP) Risk and Technology Review (RTR) proposal: 

At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $849.6 billion, new construction starts in July advanced 2% from the previous month, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. This marked the third consecutive monthly increase for total construction starts, following gains of 10% in May and 9% in June. Details here.