In This Issue:
  • Construction Safety Week; September 14-18
  • U.S. DOL Clarifies Paid Leave Requirements Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
  • The PRO Act and its Negative Impact on Merit Shop Contractors
  • Upcoming Webinar on Updates of the PRO Act
  • 2020 Empire State Chapter Annual Meeting
  • Call for Nominations
  • Upcoming ABC Empire State Chapter Training's
  • Empire Chapter Resources
Construction Safety Week is your opportunity to recognize and celebrate your commitment to uphold safety practices that send your employees home safely every day.

Take the first STEP to become safer today. Apply for ABC STEP Safety Management System and become 827% safer than the industry average. Application deadline is September 30, so don't wait to become a top performing safety company.
U.S. DOL Clarifies Paid Leave Requirements Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
On Sept. 11, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued revisions to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act regulations, which implement paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave. FFCRA requires private-sector employers with fewer than 500 employees and certain public employers to provide covered employees emergency paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave. The FFCRA’s paid leave provisions went into effect on April 1, 2020, and apply to leave taken between April 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020.

The revisions clarify workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities under the FFCRA’s paid leave provisions after an  Aug. 3 decision from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York nullified key sections of the regulations.
  • Reaffirm and provide additional explanation for the requirement that employees may take FFCRA leave only if work would otherwise be available to them.
  • Reaffirm and provide additional explanation for the requirement that an employee have employer approval to take FFCRA leave intermittently.
  • Revise the definition of “healthcare provider” to include only employees who meet the definition of that term under the Family and Medical Leave Act regulations or who are employed to provide diagnostic services, preventative services, treatment services or other services that are integrated with and necessary to the provision of patient care which, if not provided, would adversely impact patient care.
  • Clarify that employees must provide required documentation supporting their need for FFCRA leave to their employers as soon as practicable.
  • Correct an inconsistency regarding when employees may be required to provide notice of a need to take expanded family and medical leave to their employers.

The revisions to the temporary rule will be effective from Sept. 16, 2020, through the expiration of the FFCRA’s paid leave provisions on Dec. 31, 2020.

FFCRA FAQs are available here.
The PRO Act and its Negative Impact on Merit Shop Contractors
The PRO Act would enact harmful policy changes that would strip workers of protections, violate employees’ privacy, upend the business community and devastate the economy.

ABC National conducted a webinar on the negative impacts the proposed PRO Act will have on merit shop contractors. If you missed the presentation, click here to review the slides.

ABC National will be conducting another webinar on this key issue on October 7th click here to register or read more below.
New Updates on the PRO Act and its Negative Impact on Merit Shop Contractors

Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Time: 3:00-4:00 PM EDT

Speakers: Maury Baskin, Littler; Jimmy Greene, ABC Michigan; Brett McMahon, Miller & Long Co.; Kristen Swearingen, ABC National
Moderator: Ben Brubeck, ABC National

Webinar Description:
Will passage of the ABC-opposed PRO Act put you out of business? Get the latest insights from ABC leaders and experts about the impact of negative legislation targeting employers and threatening employee freedom, privacy and choice in the workplace.
2020 Empire State Chapter Annual Meeting
The 2020 Annual meeting will be held on:
Friday, November 20th
from 12:00-1:00 PM

The meeting will be held using Zoom with details to follow later this Fall. The Annual Meeting is a time for the Chapter and Board to share the successes of the year and set the agenda for the following year. We hope you’ll join us.
The Nominating Committee is seeking candidates interested in joining the Empire State Chapter Board of Directors. Candidates for the Board must meet the following qualifications:

  1. Must be a member in good standing of the Association.
  2. Must have the ability to attend meetings and accept committee responsibilities.
  3. Must have served as a bona fide member of a Regional Leadership Committee for at least one (1) year, except for regions that have existed for less than one (1) year OR if approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the current Board of Directors and approved by the membership at the Annual Meeting.

Nominations need to be received at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. If you’re interested, please reach out to Chapter President Brian Sampson at sampson@abcnys.org or call him at 585-967-2133.
CONSTRUCTION TRAINING CENTERS OF NEW YORK STATE TM
Asbestos / Lead Awareness Training

October 2, 2020 
3:00pm - 6:30pm
This training will be delivered via ZOOM
 
What you will Learn: 

  • Where Asbestos & Lead comes from and why it has been used so much. 
  • Potential health effects of asbestos. 
  • Where asbestos containing materials (ACM) and potential asbestos containing material (PACM) are commonly found. 
  • All pro cautions and work practices when working around asbestos. 
  • How OSHA regulations apply to workers who work with or around Asbestos

FULL PAYMENT IS DUE AT REGISTRATION 
*Training Fee: $100 per person
NYS Sexual Harassment Awareness

October 9, 2020 
3:00pm - 4:30pm
This training will be delivered via ZOOM
 
What you will Learn: 

  • How to identify sexual harassment behaviors and issues 
  • Difference between sexual harassment and discrimination 
  • Distinguish between the work and social environments and identify boundaries 
  • How to recognize correct /incorrect behaviors 


FULL PAYMENT IS DUE AT REGISTRATION 
*Training Fee: $100 per person
ABC Empire Chapter Resources