TechBrief

 

Contractors, looking for employees for your next project? Construction workers, looking to network for that next job and swap stories with colleagues on how to propel your career? There’s an app for that: Trade Hounds, the first mobile platform built exclusively for commercial trade workers in America. AGC of America members say it can go a long way toward helping to solve the industry’s workforce shortage crisis.
BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT

On February 4, the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act was introduced in Congress and AGC released a statement after its introduction: New “PRO Act” Will Hurt Construction Workers, Undermine Their Privacy And Make It Hard For The Economy To Recover, Official Warns. The bill is the AFL-CIO’s ambitious attempt to overturn decades of federal policy. Despite its name, the PRO Act does much more than protect an employee’s right to organize and engage in collective bargaining. In fact, the PRO Act would expand the economic weapons available to unions at the bargaining table, at the workplace, and beyond. The proposed legislation also contains provisions that are of particular concern to union contractors and those concerns were discussed in detail in an AGC analysis last year. AGC is encouraging members to tell their members of Congress to oppose this anti-worker, anti-privacy, and anti-recovery legislation by following this link.

AGC of America is conducting a new coronavirus survey to determine how the pandemic has impacted operations over the past year and their expectations. The association will use the survey results to educate officials about the current state of the construction industry and advocate for additional relief measures designed to boost demand for construction. Please take the survey by the close of business on Thursday, March 4. The association will then analyze the survey answers and release the results by mid-March to members, the media and elected and appointed officials. Please contact Brian Turmail at (703) 459-0238 or brian.turmail@agc.org with any questions, comments or concerns.

In the aftermath of a deep freeze that crippled much of Texas last week, the Lone Star State is in need of plumbers, plumbing supplies and emergency repair workers. The governor has waived certain regulations to allow for more access to plumbers from other states. Additional information available here from the Austin Chapter AGC.

The construction industry took the first step this month toward a BIM standard in the U.S. during an executive roundtable discussion hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences. The 40 roundtable participants included executives from Autodesk, Bentley, WSP and HDR, as well as leaders from federal agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration.

March 3, 2021
WebEd: Outlook for Construction Industry Priorities in Washington, D.C.
2 – 3:30 p.m.

 

2 - 3 p.m. 

 

WebEd: A Practical Examination of CMMC for Construction Contractors
2 - 3:30 p.m.

 

 

March 23, 2021
WebEd: Utilizing Colocation and the Big Room on Construction Projects
2 – 3 p.m.