In This Issue:
  • Webinar: How to Prepare for and Defend Against an OSHA Inspection
  • Congressman Reed to Address ABC Membership
  • Registration Now Open for the Spring CORE Class
  • Overview of OSHA’s Updated COVID-19 Guidance
  • PPP Loan Update
  • Additional Upcoming Webinars
  • Empire Chapter Resources
Webinar: How to Prepare for and Defend Against an OSHA Inspection
Join ABC Empire State Chapter for our webinar on How to Prepare for and Defend Against an OSHA Inspection. Our presenter, Mike Rubin a Partner at Goldberg Segalla, is an OSHA and Labor Law policy expert.

Thursday, March 4th
9:00 to 10:00 AM

This presenter will cover:

  • Proactive measures any employer can take (before OSHA ever shows up) to mitigate, if not eliminate, future OSHA exposure
  • The most important rights employers have during an OSHA inspection and strategies for asserting those rights during an inspection
  • What OSHA must do to prove a violation against a construction company and why employers should consider contesting OSHA citations
  • How to establish commonly-asserted defenses to OSHA citations

Don't miss out on this cost free, member exclusive webinar, that will provide you with vital information that could protect you from receiving OSHA violations in the future.

Registration is required.
Congressman Reed to Address ABC Members
Please join us on March 16, 2021 from 8:30 – 9:30 AM for our first Quarterly Membership Update of the year. The staff and Board will highlight some of the great work the Chapter has accomplished on behalf of the membership in the following areas:
  • Education
  • Membership
  • Government Affairs 

We’ll also be joined by our special guest speaker, Congressman Tom Reed (R- District 23 - Corning/Elmira), co-chair of the influential Problem Solvers Caucus. The caucus is a group of 24 Republicans and 24 Democrats who meet weekly to solve some of the most contentious issues facing our country today.
Congressman Reed will share with us the latest update from our nations capital and what we, as the merit shop industry, can anticipate for this legislative session.
More on Congressman Reed:
  • Congressman Reed has been in office since 2010 and has been a firm believer and supporter of the merit shop philosophy in the construction industry
  • The Congressman currently serves on the vital Ways & Means Committee and the Social Security subcommittee
  • Before joining Congress, he served as the Mayor of Corning, New York for one term (two years)

Registration is required. 
Based on the merit shop philosophy, we help our members develop people, win work and deliver work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work.
Register Today for the Spring CORE Class!
Do you have a new hire? Or someone new entering your apprenticeship program? Then you need to sign them up for our CORE class.

At ABC, craft training will begin with learning the core skills that provide the foundation needed to work for all the other crafts in the NCCER curriculum. These skills include:
  • Basic Safety
  • Introduction to Construction Math, Hand Tools, Power Tools, Construction Drawings, Basic Rigging, Material Handling
  • Communication Skills
  • Employability Skills

Once they've mastered the Core Skills, your employees will have the basic foundation they need to either enter an apprenticeship program or find success as a newly hired construction worker.

Classes start: Monday, March 15th, 2021 Mon/Wed 5-8pm
ABC Member: $950 Non Member: $1,800
REGISTRATION & PAYMENT IS DUE BY FRIDAY, MARCH 5TH, 2021
ABC General Counsel Provides Overview of OSHA’s Updated COVID-19 Guidance
On Jan. 29, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace,” which provides updated guidance and recommendations for employers and outlines existing safety and health standards.

OSHA states, “The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.” ABC’s general counsel, Littler Mendelson P.C., also published an article that discusses OSHA’s new COVID-19 guidance.
PPP Loan Update
Monday morning, the White House released its reforms to target PPP loans to underserved businesses. Beginning Wednesday morning, Feb. 24, and ending March 9, the U.S. Small Business Association will only accept Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications from businesses with fewer than 20 employees. The reforms to the program will also change PPP eligibility rules so sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals receive more funds, and eliminate restrictions on business owners with non-fraud felony convictions and those delinquent on their federal student loans.

Construction continues to benefit from PPP loans in 2021, obtaining 13 percent of all loans this year, receiving more than $16 billion: Paycheck Protection Program Report: Approvals through 02/15/2021 (sba.gov). Even with significant PPP funds remaining and Congress set to approve another $7 billion through the Democrat’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan that is expected to pass under budget reconciliation in March, the White House isn’t taking a position on whether the PPP should be extended beyond the March 31 deadline authorized by the bipartisan COVID relief deal in December.
Construction Back to Basics Safety Webinar
Presented by Milwaukee Tools
Join the ABC Empire State Chapter for a complimentary Milwaukee Safety Webinar. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in live interactions with representatives and participate in different product demos. Attendees will also receive a market share presentation and learn to look out for in 2021.

Complimentary for all ABC Empire State Chapter Members!
Wednesday,
March 10, 2021
1st Session: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
2nd Session: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

For Registration and Questions please reach out to Amy Platenik
Cell: (585) 363-1657
Trends in Health Care Construction
ABC Members and Project Owners Only

Date: Thursday, Feb. 25
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Speakers: Michelle Mader, Catalyst, a Haskell Company; Joe M. Powell, University Research Institute
Moderator: David Pugh, Bradley

With a global pandemic expediting health care construction timelines, designers, contractors and owners have been forced to pivot. Learn about some of the top trends in health care construction through Michelle Mader’s experience at Catalyst partnering with various health care providers and Joe Powell’s extensive research at the University Research Institute.
ABC Empire Chapter Resources