.jpeg?itok=6uFZXEBH)
The National Football League faces a growing backlash over the way cheerleaders are compensated and the reason for it will sound very familiar to regular readers of Construction Citizen. Over the years, we’ve highlighted the practice of worker misclassification in our industry. Now other sectors of the economy are dealing with the issue in a variety of ways. Our industry insider Jim Kollaer noted just this week that the popular ride-sharing company Uber is under the legal microscope for whether its drivers should be classified as employees or independent contractors.In the case of NFL cheerleaders, at least five lawsuits have been filed including one against the Oakland Raiders. The Oakland Raiderettes settled that lawsuit with the team’s owners for a reported $1.5 million.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
.jpeg?itok=4Vi_1nJG)
36 states, D.C. add construction jobs in last year; multifamily, hotel markets remain hotEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Seasonally adjusted construction employment rose in 36 states and the District of Columbia from August 2014 to August 2015, declined in 13 states and held steady in North Dakota, an AGC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released today showed. The number of places with year-over-year gains was the smallest since April 2012. California again gained the most construction jobs (43,800 jobs, 6.5%), followed by Florida (25,700, 6.4%), North Carolina (13,200, 7.4%), Washington (12,800, 8.0%) and Texas (11,400, 1.7%). The highest percentage of new construction jobs were again added by Arkansas (14%, 6,200) and Idaho (10%, 3,600), followed by South Carolina (9.1%, 7,500) and Iowa (8.9%, 6,700). The steepest percentage losses again occurred in West Virginia (-15%, -5,100) and Rhode Island (-7.9%, -1,300), followed by Mississippi (-7.4%, -3,600), Ohio (-5.7%, -11,300) and New Mexico (-5.2%, -2,200).
September 22, 2015
The construction industry has fought the issue of independent contractors with no benefits or employees with full benefits for the last decade. Now the startup Uber is in the middle of two suits, and the ultimate outcomes on those decisions will impact their viability in the future.And it is not just Uber. The decisions on these cases in California could have an impact on the viability and growth of “on demand” startups and the personal service businesses like Uber. The startups and their business models are a perceived threat to the “old way of life” where you got a job and benefits and you stayed with that company or industry model until you retired.
September 21, 2015
EarthCam captured images of the construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial Visitor’s Center as it progressed, condensing the 5-year project into a fascinating 1½-minute time-lapse video.
September 18, 2015
Describing the situation as a “perfect storm,” the President of Lee College in Baytown says the school is constantly innovating and working closely with the business community to fine-tune programs in an effort to meet the demands of employers and help students seeking to improve their lives.Construction Citizen’s team recently had a chance to sit down with the leadership of Lee College and the discussion was eye-opening. Administrators described a community-wide partnership aimed at putting people to work in solid careers – even if those careers aren’t “glamorous” or even top-of-mind for people who live in the heart of the petrochemical corridor along the Texas Gulf Coast.
September 17, 2015
Contractors report major difficulty filling craft positions as hiring plans strengthenEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Nearly four out of five contractors (79%) are having trouble filling hourly craft professional positions, while 52% report difficulty filling salaried positions, based on 1358 responses to a survey and analysis AGC released on Thursday. Of 21 crafts, respondents reported the most difficulty finding carpenters (reported by 73% of the firms that employ them now), sheet metal installers (65%), concrete workers (63%) and electricians (60%). But even the most available category of hourly workers, traffic control personnel, was reported hard to find by more than one-quarter (26%) of respondents. Among 10 types of salaried professions, the scarcest were project managers and supervisors (55% reported difficulty), followed by estimating professionals (43%) and engineers (34%). To attract and maintain workers, firms say they are increasing base pay rates (56% of firms for hourly workers, 48% for salaried workers), providing incentives or bonuses (23% and 29%, respectively), increasing contributions to benefit plans or improving employee benefits (23% and 23%), and paying more overtime (165 and 4%).
September 17, 2015
The first reported conviction of a contractor guilty of wage theft was handed down by a jury in El Paso this past week. The case against the employer was pursued under a law passed in 2011 by a local lawmaker who has made stamping out wage theft one of his personal causes.The victim, Esteban Rangel, said he was owed $2,295 by the owner of Sun City Roofing, John Najera. Najera did not have any prior convictions, which is why the 180 day jail sentence announced in court was reduced to three months of probation. In addition, Najera must pay a fine of $5,000 and Rangel will receive $2,295 in restitution.The lawmaker who pushed for passage of the state’s new wage theft law, Sen. Jose Rodríguez, said the conviction is an important step forward and will hopefully send a message to other unethical business owners.
September 16, 2015
Marek Dallas Division President John Hinson wrote the following President’s Message for AWCI's Construction Dimension magazine. Hinson is the 2015-2016 President of AWCI.I take great pleasure in complementing our craftsmen’s work. They have the talent and artistic ability to build today’s landmarks, and it takes years of training and experience to acquire these skills. As the executive near the top, it’s my responsibility—and many of my AWCI partners—to provide career avenues for our craftsmen. It is a pathway to success for them, their families and our businesses.
September 15, 2015
In a 3-2 decision, the National Labor Relations Board NLRB has made a decision that redefines “joint employer status” and will likely change the way many businesses deal with their workers, whether employees or contract labor.The decision, applauded by the unions, is seen by some as a move to further the Obama-union relationship and to pave the way for union expansion during the last 18 months of the Obama administration.According to an article in The Hill citing the majority opinion, “In the decision, the Board applies long-established principles to find that two or more entities are joint employers of a single workforce if (1) they are both employers within the meaning of the common law; and (2) they share or codetermine those matters governing the essential terms and conditions of employment.
September 14, 2015
A video produced and directed by Eddie Rosenstein of Eyepop Productions, Inc., shares the story of boat captains and crewmen who worked together fourteen years ago today to rescue people from lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center Towers. Narrated by Tom Hanks, the video includes interviews with captains and crew members of public and private boats who answered the radio call from the Coast Guard to evacuate people off of the island when hundreds of thousands of people ran south as they fled the area of the fallen towers.The idea to organize the evacuation came when US Coast Guard Commander Michael Day witnessed a small boat becoming so overloaded with people fleeing the island that he feared it might tip over.
September 11, 2015
