The Des Moines Construction Council sees a growing need for signatory contractors, regardless of their trade, to have an outlet to share information and learn more about the challenges of managing not only collective bargaining agreements, but also the many aspects that union contractors face. Though the trades are different, there is a commonality amongst signatory contractors that DMCC hopes to serve.
Upcoming Webinar on Dual Gate Usage
for DMCC Members
Don’t miss out on your chance to hear from legal expert Leon Shearer at this upcoming month’s Des Moines Construction Council April Webinar series.


This webinar will discuss the legal issues surrounding using dual or multiple gates on projects where both union and non-union companies are involved. It will focus on the practical steps to establish and maintain such a system and the do’s and don’ts surrounding this practice. This area continues to be very active when project delivery involves both union and non-union contractors. 

The webinar will be held on April 14 at 10:00AM and is open to all DMCC members in good standing. However, you MUST RSVP in order to receive the link to the webinar.  
STOP the PRO Act!
What you need to know:

Master Builders of Iowa signed a letter with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace on March 4, 2021 that asked Congress to reject the PRO Act. The letter was signed by 248 organizations both in the commercial construction industry and out.

AGC of America opposes the misleadingly named "Protecting the Right to Organize" (PRO) Act because it will dangerously wreck the balance between an employee's right to bargain collectively and an employers' right to manage their business.

Update: On March 9, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PRO Act largely along partisan lines. The final vote was 225-206 with one Democrat and five Republicans crossing party lines. AGC's advocacy efforts now turn to the U.S. Senate, where at least 45 Democrats have pledged their support to pass the bill.

AGC's White Paper on the PRO Act: What Contractors Need to Know

Find more resources on the PRO Act from AGC of America here:
More Harm by the Feds. Buy American Proposal? 
Not what it seems…..
  • Interferes with Competitiveness of American Contractors at Home. If a contractor bids a project using potentially more expensive American-made products, they are gambling that other contractors’ bids include that same cost. The provision in the Buy American Improvement Act that seeks to address this problem is woefully inadequate. It only gives preference to domestic bidders (or bidders using domestic products) where the company’s offer is “substantially the same” as an offer made by a company that does not include American-made products. If American products turn out to be substantially greater in cost, the contractor that uses them will be less competitive.

  • Interferes with the Competitiveness of American Contractors Abroad. Preferential treatment for American-made products here will encourage reciprocal action abroad. Contractors who do business overseas could lose business on projects they otherwise would have been competitive on.

  • Increases Costs by Artificially Constraining the Supply Chain. By altering the definition of what constitutes an American-made product (raising the threshold percentage from 50 to 75 percent), companies who do business with the federal government will have to shift their supply chains as they are left to choose from a smaller list of acceptable products.

  • Violates International Treaty. Strengthening the Buy American Act would be in violation of the plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement (1994), to which the US is party, administered by the World Trade Organization. This opens the possibility for potentially costly and time-consuming international suits and dispute mediation, which could strike unexpectedly during any portion of the construction cycle.
The Congress-passed $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill contains multiemployer pension plan provisions of interest to contributing construction contractors including specific COVID related provisions and funding relief for eligible plans. The COVID related pension provisions are intended to provide plans relief to plans that were impacted by COVID with investment losses or contribution losses. Meanwhile the bill provides significant multiemployer pension relief through a Special Financial Assistance Program by providing a one-time lump sum payment to eligible plans to pay all benefits through 2051 (30 years) with no expectation of repayment. It is estimated there are about 100 critical and declining plans, some critical plans and a few endangered plans in the construction industry that could be eligible for some relief. Starting in 2031 PBGC premiums would be increased to $52/year and indexed for inflation every year after for all plans and participants. Premiums are currently scheduled to be about $43 in 2031 because of indexing.

Looking ahead, there will be opportunities for significant regulatory rulemakings and interpretations on important provisions like withdrawal liability calculations, future accruals, and employer contribution rates. In recent years there have significant legislative threats to the multiemployer pension plan system including massive PBGC premium increases, employer assessments, participant benefit reductions, increased withdrawal liability and mandating lower assumption rates. None of those harmful public policy changes are included the American Rescue Plan Act. However, at the same time a long AGC advocated policy change, authorization of Composite Plan design, which incorporates the best features of DB and DC plans by offering voluntary options to share risks, funding stability, lifetime income to participants, and limiting employer obligations to negotiated contributions only, without cost to the taxpayer, was not included. AGC will make authorization of new plan design a priority and will ensure the implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act considers the impact on construction employers.

For more info, contact Jim Young, Senior Director, Congressional Relations, HR, Labor and Safety, at jim.young@agc.org(link sends e-mail) or (202) 547-0133.