 |
Building Negotiations and Labor Update
Our negotiating committees have been busy with the 2016 Building Negotiations during the past month. We are pleased to report settlements in four of the six metro area building contracts. In order of settlement, we have agreements with the Operators, Carpenters, Ironworkers, and Laborers. All of these agreements will be recommended for ratification. The Ironworker agreement was ratified by the union negotiating body. We do not yet have agreements with the Bricklayers or Cement Masons. Meetings have been scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, for the Cement Masons and Thursday, May 7, for the Bricklayers. We will be very surprised if these meetings do not produce an agreement.
The allocation of the building agreement increases to wages/fringe benefits will be completed within the next week for those trades who have reached agreement. These new schedules and agreement summaries will be posted on our website. The new agreements will be posted when available.
We will be revising the To Be Bound forms for members who wish to execute the new building agreements. These will be available on our website under the Workforce Relations section as soon as agreements have been ratified. Ironworker contractors who assigned bargaining authority to the MSEA/AGC committee are bound to the new agreement by virtue of their assignment of bargaining rights.
The updated 5/1/16 wage and fringe benefit schedules for HH and for mid-term building agreements are posted on the website.
For more detail on the Building Negotiations and settlements, go to www.agcmn.org and then Labor & Workforce, 2016 Building Negotiations.
|
Competing Supplemental Budgets and P3 Authorization
With less than a month left to the 2016 legislative session, the House and Senate have both passed supplemental budget packages, but a global deal is far from apparent. The House has proposed only $12 million in new revenue so far, saving the bulk of the budget surplus to be spent on transportation and tax relief. The Senate spends $489 million of the surplus. How these two proposals interact and whether there will be an increased revenue source for transportation are the burning questions for the remainder of the session.
The transportation conference committee met today to discuss an updated proposal for a Public Private Partnership pilot program.
Over the past few weeks, Senator Dibble has invited AGC participation in discussions with his staff to help craft new language to the P3 authorization that would accommodate concerns with language from 2015, presently contained in HF 4. Many of our concerns are addressed in this new language, which can be found
here
.
AGC was successful in making sure the new language provides for specific elements like contractor payment assurances and even including lien priority rights for payment. Additionally, the size of the individual project authorization has been reduced to a more modest maximum of $500 million vs. the previous $1 billion ceiling.
Contact Abbey Bryduck at abryduck@agcmn.org
or 952-250-1681 with questions.
|
Seasonal Load Limit Changes
The ending date for Spring Load Restrictions in the North-Central Frost Zone will be Tuesday, May 3. The ending date in the North Frost Zone will be Wednesday, May 4. The starting date for Full Summer Overweight Permits in the Southeast, South, Metro, and Central Frost Zones will be Friday, May 6. Information about seasonal load limits is available here.
|
AGC Bookstore Monthly Featured Products -
Construction State Law Matrix
The Construction State Law Matrix is the most comprehensive and concise resource available for locating information on state laws affecting public and private construction projects. Updated annually by AGC and the nationally recognized law firm of Smith, Currie, and Hancock, LLP, your annual subscription provides access to searchable information and answers for all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Your purchase provides instant access from a web browser on any computer or mobile device to information that can be easily sorted by state or topic area. Topics covered include requirements for licensing, bidding, contracting, lien, payment, and more than 60 other topics.
To view a sample of the Construction State Law Matrix, click here.
A one-year subscription to the Matrix is available during the month of May at a 20% discount using coupon code SLM20.
|
|
525 Park Street, Suite 110
St. Paul, MN 55103
651-632-8929
|
|
|
|
|
|
