At the North America’s Building Trades Unions’ 2019 Legislative Conference this week, union leaders are talking about the need for infrastructure investment. They point to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has signaled a commitment to “supporting community standards like collective bargaining … … [Read more...] about North America’s Building Trades Unions Championing Infrastructure Bill with Wage Protections
DOL Issues Proposed Rule for Clarifying the Joint Employer Test
On April 1, DOL issued a proposed rule to clarify the responsibilities of employers and joint employers (who would be jointly responsible for an employee's wages). As part of the proposed rule, the DOL lays out a four-factor test to determine if a joint employer relationship exists. See here for … [Read more...] about DOL Issues Proposed Rule for Clarifying the Joint Employer Test
DOL Issues Proposed Rule for Clarifying “Regular Rate” Regulation
On March 28, DOL issued a proposed rule clarifying whether certain kinds of perks and benefits must be included in the regular rate for the “time and one-half” calculation when determining workers’ overtime rates. It is the first update on this subject in over 50 years. See here for more … [Read more...] about DOL Issues Proposed Rule for Clarifying “Regular Rate” Regulation
DOL Performing Wage Survey in North Carolina
The DOL is gathering data from employers on wages paid to construction workers from June 1, 2017 through May 31, 2018 in 46 North Carolina counties. Participation is voluntary, but the data will be used to establish updated prevailing wage rates for the Davis-Bacon Act. See here for more … [Read more...] about DOL Performing Wage Survey in North Carolina
U.S. Recovers $14.3 Million for Hurricane Recovery Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has recovered $14,337,657 in unpaid wages for 7,761 employees engaged in hurricane recovery work in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This came as a result of the WHD's investigations in the last year that focused on employers' … [Read more...] about U.S. Recovers $14.3 Million for Hurricane Recovery Workers
US Supreme Court Issues Big Decision Impacting Unions
On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an Illinois law that required non-union workers to pay fees that go to collective bargaining and overturned a 1977 law that required employees to pay so-called "fair share" fees. It is believed that the ruling that could cripple public-sector … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court Issues Big Decision Impacting Unions
Prevailing Wages Based on Survey Wage Data from the 1980s in Some Jurisdictions
According to publicly available data from the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, the agency is relying on outdated wage survey data in some jurisdictions. Using data from the 1980s means that wages are lower than what would truly be "prevailing" during today's economic times. Former … [Read more...] about Prevailing Wages Based on Survey Wage Data from the 1980s in Some Jurisdictions
Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion Outlines Strategies
The Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion presented a report to President Trump outlining recommendations on growing the apprenticeship program across different industries. One of the recommendations was a pilot project focusing on mastery and competency. However, please note that participants for … [Read more...] about Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion Outlines Strategies