AGC of NH News
This section of news is a supplement to our biweekly newsletter and used for attachments that could not be included with that publication. Articles will run on this page that have not been published in our newsletter as well.
This section of news is a supplement to our biweekly newsletter and used for attachments that could not be included with that publication. Articles will run on this page that have not been published in our newsletter as well.
2012 Legislative Session Begins
January 2012
January 2012
The 2012 Legislative Session officially began on January 4, and AGC of NH is ready to dive into the new session. We have several committee meetings scheduled throughout January, the Association’s committees will be meeting to review proposed legislation, take positions, and recommend actions for AGC of NH to take. This year’s bills run the gamut from highway related to human resources to environment to building. Suffice to say, AGC of NH will be busy this session.
Ahead on the schedule is the first meeting of the newly formed Highway Committee, the reformatted Building Committee, the Human Resources, and the Environment Committee. The Legislative Committee met in the beginning of the month to review all the bills that could impact the commercial construction industry either positively or negatively. Following their review, the bills were introduced to the various committees they had ties to.
The Association staff is busy as well. Our full-time lobbyist has already attended a number of hearings, and the Board of Directors has listed the top bills for 2012. Check out the January 23 issue of the AGC of NH newsletter for a look at the top bills.
Ahead on the schedule is the first meeting of the newly formed Highway Committee, the reformatted Building Committee, the Human Resources, and the Environment Committee. The Legislative Committee met in the beginning of the month to review all the bills that could impact the commercial construction industry either positively or negatively. Following their review, the bills were introduced to the various committees they had ties to.
The Association staff is busy as well. Our full-time lobbyist has already attended a number of hearings, and the Board of Directors has listed the top bills for 2012. Check out the January 23 issue of the AGC of NH newsletter for a look at the top bills.
Flag Training Now Available
January 2012
January 2012
AGC of NH is now offering its “Train the Trainer” Flagger Training Course. The four hour course will be held on February 10, beginning at 8:30 AM. The course will cover flagging procedures including NH DOT regulations on flag person training, proper use of paddles and flags, placement of flaggers on the job site, qualities of a good flag person, equipment, and proper placement of signs. AGC of NH is designed for flagging & traffic control companies, or companies that wish to have their own in-house flagging staff.
Designated trainers are required to complete a flagging course at least every four years. If your company’s flag trainer is coming up on the expiration date, now is the perfect time to have him or her re-trained. Participants will receive a packet of information they can use during their own flag training courses.
Members who include payment upon registration receive a discounted price of $65. Members who are invoiced will be charged $75. The non-member price is $110. Non-members must pay upon registration. To see the flyer and register please go to the training page. Call the chapter office at (603) 225-2701 for more information.
Designated trainers are required to complete a flagging course at least every four years. If your company’s flag trainer is coming up on the expiration date, now is the perfect time to have him or her re-trained. Participants will receive a packet of information they can use during their own flag training courses.
Members who include payment upon registration receive a discounted price of $65. Members who are invoiced will be charged $75. The non-member price is $110. Non-members must pay upon registration. To see the flyer and register please go to the training page. Call the chapter office at (603) 225-2701 for more information.
New! Committee Meeting Dates Available Online!
January 2012
January 2012
Committee members can now view upcoming committee meetings online through AGC of NH’s website calendar. Located under the Events tab, the monthly calendar shows the meeting dates, times, and locations for each committee (if a meeting is scheduled for that month). The calendar also shows important legislative dates, and Association office closures.
2011 Davis Bacon Wage Rates
December 2011
December 2011
What’s It All About: Davis Bacon Wages were most recently re-calculated in 2011, and these rates are now included in projects involving federal funding. Members have notified AGC of NH of increases in the wages, and major differences between counties. The method of calculation for these rates has long been questioned. Often times, the Department of Labor does not receive many responses to its survey, which results in a biased picture of wage rates. Furthermore, if the majority of respondents for a particular classification are union, the union wage is used as the prevailing wage.
What AGC is Working On: AGC of NH has been contacted by AGC of America to look at the trends of Davis Bacon Wage rates in New Hampshire. In response, AGC of NH compared 2010 and 2011 rates across all counties for Highway, Heavy, and Building classifications. The comparison shows that the Highway division has the highest frequency of rate increases. AGC of NH’s next step will be to meet with New Hampshire’s Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Labor about the rate increases.
The Association believes that wage rates should be calculated in a more uniform manner.
Davis Bacon Comparison
What AGC is Working On: AGC of NH has been contacted by AGC of America to look at the trends of Davis Bacon Wage rates in New Hampshire. In response, AGC of NH compared 2010 and 2011 rates across all counties for Highway, Heavy, and Building classifications. The comparison shows that the Highway division has the highest frequency of rate increases. AGC of NH’s next step will be to meet with New Hampshire’s Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Labor about the rate increases.
The Association believes that wage rates should be calculated in a more uniform manner.
Davis Bacon Comparison
AGC of America Questions DOL Use of PLA
October 2011
October 2011
Following the release of the Sources Sought Notice for the Manchester Job Corps project, AGC of America has contacted the Department of Labor (DOL) about their inclusion of a project labor agreement (PLA). In a letter dated October 7, the Association asks the Department to explain their reasoning for including a government mandated PLA in the project. AGC of America reiterates the letter sent in 2009, which questioned the use of a PLA during the initial bidding process.
In 2009, the DOL cancelled the bid solicitation citing the need to conduct further research on the use of a PLA. AGC of America is now questioning what further research was conducted in the past two years that led them to the decision to include a PLA in this second solicitation. From the letter, “AGC is unaware of any PLA feasibility study conducted in the project area since the 2009 solicitation cancellation. If such a study were conducted in a reliable manner, surely the research would have included an effort to obtain input from such significant industry players as AGC of New Hampshire …, and its member contractors; to our knowledge … no such effort was made.”
In addition to lack of research, AGC of America also questioned the PLA negotiation. The Sources Sought Notice states that the Department of Labor will negotiate the terms of the PLA. AGC of America believes that if a PLA must be in place, the employers who employ the workers should be the ones negotiating the terms of the PLA. These parties have a vested interest in creating and maintaining a stable employment relationship. If the Department moves forward with negotiating the PLA on its own, does it have sufficient staff that has experience negotiating terms of a PLA? The Association would also like to know if the individual negotiating the PLA has any past or current relationships and/or experience with the labor unions and union representatives against whom they will be negotiating the PLA for this project.
AGC of America also included a copy of their original 2009 letter, requesting answers to the questions in that letter as well, as no responses were received in 2009. AGC of NH supports this letter, and hopes that the Department will respond with answers. The full letter is available below. AGC of NH will continue to keep members updated on this issue as more information becomes available.
PLA Manchester Job Corps Letter
In 2009, the DOL cancelled the bid solicitation citing the need to conduct further research on the use of a PLA. AGC of America is now questioning what further research was conducted in the past two years that led them to the decision to include a PLA in this second solicitation. From the letter, “AGC is unaware of any PLA feasibility study conducted in the project area since the 2009 solicitation cancellation. If such a study were conducted in a reliable manner, surely the research would have included an effort to obtain input from such significant industry players as AGC of New Hampshire …, and its member contractors; to our knowledge … no such effort was made.”
In addition to lack of research, AGC of America also questioned the PLA negotiation. The Sources Sought Notice states that the Department of Labor will negotiate the terms of the PLA. AGC of America believes that if a PLA must be in place, the employers who employ the workers should be the ones negotiating the terms of the PLA. These parties have a vested interest in creating and maintaining a stable employment relationship. If the Department moves forward with negotiating the PLA on its own, does it have sufficient staff that has experience negotiating terms of a PLA? The Association would also like to know if the individual negotiating the PLA has any past or current relationships and/or experience with the labor unions and union representatives against whom they will be negotiating the PLA for this project.
AGC of America also included a copy of their original 2009 letter, requesting answers to the questions in that letter as well, as no responses were received in 2009. AGC of NH supports this letter, and hopes that the Department will respond with answers. The full letter is available below. AGC of NH will continue to keep members updated on this issue as more information becomes available.
PLA Manchester Job Corps Letter