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Construction costs accelerated again in June, with steep increases for a wide range of building and road construction materials as tariffs against foreign goods come into effect, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new Labor Department data. Association officials say that contractors will have to assume much of the costs as tariffs increase the costs of many key construction materials.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Peter Robb has issued a memorandum about the NLRB’s new approach to cases charging that employee work rules or employment policies (also referred to as employee handbook policies) unlawfully interfere with employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The memo was written in follow-up to the NLRB’s December 2017 Boeing decision and provides employers with useful guidance.

Construction employment increased by 13,000 jobs in June and by 282,000 jobs over the past year, reaching a 10-year high, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said many construction firms appear to be more willing to hire amid lower tax rates and a more favorable business environment, but caution that trade fights and labor shortages pose risks to future growth.

Federal agencies recently have initiated action on several key environmental issues of importance to �۽�ֱ�� of America’s contractor members from the Waters of the United States rulemaking to proposed new lead-dust standards and re-evaluating the procedural elements of the National Environmental Policy Act.

Construction spending reached a record level of $1.309 trillion in May as monthly increases in residential and public investment outweighed a decline in private nonresidential outlays, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials warned, however, that continued labor shortages and rising materials costs threaten future growth in demand.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, Guam) has ruled that an asset purchaser that was deemed a successor was liable to pay the seller’s pension fund withdrawal liability even though the purchaser did not have actual knowledge of the liability. The circuit court found that constructive notice of the liability was sufficient to impose withdrawal liability on the asset purchaser. The ruling raises the hurdles that a successor must overcome to avoid withdrawal liability in an asset sale transaction.

Construction employment increased in 263 (73 percent) out of 358 metro areas between May 2017 and May 2018

Merced, Calif., Midland and Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas Have Largest Gains as 63 Areas Set May Records for Construction Employment; Newark, N.J.-Pa. and Bloomington, Ill. Have Biggest Annual Decreases

James V. Christianson, Vice President, Government Relations, for the Associated General Contractors of America (�۽�ֱ��), the nation’s leading construction trade association, today urged Congress “to reform the nation’s immigration system.”

On June 19, the U. S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released a final rule intended to expand association health plans (AHPs) and increase flexibility for small employers to join groups or associations to offer insured health coverage in the large group market at potentially more favorable pricing with less restrictive requirements. A number of �۽�ֱ�� Chapters across the country currently recognize the need to offer alternative health care options and administer AHPs that offer “group health plan” coverage to employees of members. As outlined in response to the proposed version of the rule, �۽�ֱ�� is supportive of the flexibility and opportunity the DOL intends to provide and pleased that existing AHPs were preserved in the final rule.