The House of Representatives is anticipated to vote on the "Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act" next week. Take action now and tell your members of Congress and President Biden to oppose the PRO Act (H.R. 842/S. 420).

If enacted, the PRO Act would, among other things, eliminate all prohibitions on picketing against any employer, even those having nothing to do with a labor dispute; impose a “backdoor card check” exception to employees’ well-established right to a secret ballot election; and impose mandatory third-party arbitration in which a union and employer do not reach agreement, undermining the collective bargaining process. To contact your federal officials and for more information, click here. 

This year union agreements are expiring for Cement Masons (Duluth & NW MN HH; ND), Laborers (ND), Carpenters (ND & SD), and Operating Engineers (ND). AGC of Minnesota is coordinating with AGC of ND on many of these agreements. If you are signatory to any, be sure to send in your termination notice ASAP and let Mike know which negotiations you’d like to be kept in the loop on.

Contractors successfully reached an agreement with the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters to convert its pension to a Lifetime Income Benefits plan—a conversion that will help the industry, carpenters, and the partnership between contractors and the union. The conversion cost ($1.11/hour) will take effect January 2022. If you are signatory with Carpenters to perform Building or Highway/Heavy work in Northern MN, please download the new To Be Bound form and return to Ana. Contact Mike if you have any questions.

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The AGC Contracts Committee has been working to create a new Owner-Contractor form, which will be perfect for times when contractors need a Minnesota industry short form to work directly with owners. This form will also be available as part of a full suite of contracts: Owner-General-Subcontractor-Material Purchases-ITO.

The new contracts will be released in the next month. If you currently are using an AGC form contract, we are extending that license through March 2021.

If the Construction Health And Safety Excellence (CHASE) program was a person, it would be able to vote and get a tattoo this month! Now in its 18th year, CHASE is the longest-running partnership with Minnesota OSHA and recognizes contractors for their superior health and safety programs.

CHASE added its 47th member contractor in February, as Ames Construction, Inc. joined at a Level 2.

Learn more about the CHASE partnership here.

Congratulations to The Boldt Company on their new CHASE Level 3 project at Byllesby Dam in Cannon Falls! Also signed to this project are Veit & Company, Inc., Parsons Electric, and Harris. Level 3 is the reserved for projects exhibiting the highest levels of safety practices.

The AGC Education and Research Foundation offers Workforce Development Scholarships to students enrolled in accredited technical schools or craft training programs in any discipline of commercial construction. Students in technical or approved craft training programs will have until June 1^st to apply for $1,000 scholarships (renewal for up to two years) from the AGC Education and Research Foundation.

To review the complete list of criteria click here. Students can click here to apply.  The Education and Research Foundation is committed to taking steps to ensure students have the technical skills needed to immediately enter into the commercial construction workforce. For further questions, contact Courtney Bishop.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will end winter load increases and start spring load restrictions in the north-central and north frost zones at 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 8.

Spring load restrictions are already in effect in the south, southeast and metro frost zones. Spring load restrictions started today, March 5, in the central frost zone.

Frost zones can be found on the MnDOT load limits map.

Start and end dates and other load limit information are shown at mndot.gov/loadlimits.

Application materials and additional information about the request for proposals and the easement sign-up are available on BWSR’s website. Applications for any of the participation options are due at 2:30 pm on April 7, 2021. Specific questions can be directed to your local soil and water conservation district, or BWSR program staff listed on the LGRWRP program website.

Join the Washington Business Journal for a 4-part virtual series that will help participants uncover the historic foundations of systemic racism, how that system is intertwined with the business community and what business leaders are doing to create a more equitable future. More info and registration here.

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According to the National Association of Women in Construction, women make up 9.9 percent of the construction industry in the United States.

Governor Walz has proclaimed this week, March 7-13, 2021 as Women in Construction Week in Minnesota. Click the image on the right for a flyer full of ways to participate in WIC Week 2021, and click here for event registration information.

A feature article in the March/April 2021 issue of Constructor magazine tells the story of the women team members at Flatiron, a member of multiple AGC chapters, who for the first time ever are wearing certified Class-3 safety vest designed specifically for female bodies.

OSHA announced that it has scheduled the eighth annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction for May 3-7, 2021. OSHA encourages construction employers and other stakeholders to join the event to promote awareness and training to address one of the industry’s most serious dangers.

OSHA’s Fall Prevention Stand-Down webpage offers a wide range of compliance resources in many languages.

AIA Minnesota is launching a new continuing education series customized for the Minnesota industry. Get all the details here.

Temps are warming, spring feels imminent, and we're all looking forward to summer!

AGC Golf Tournament: Friday, August 6th at Keller Golf Course

AGC Sporting Clays Fundraiser: Wednesday, September 15th at Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club.