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A Texas House Committee has scheduled a hearing on the issue of worker misclassification and what more the state may need to do to combat the problem that is particularly rampant in the construction industry. The House Business and Industry Committee will take testimony on the implementation of a limited crackdown that was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry last year. The hearing is slated for Tuesday, April 22 at the state capitol.The official announcement of the public hearing says that the panel of lawmakers will be looking into “the issue of misclassifying employees as independent contractors on workers, employers, income tax withholding, and the unemployment insurance system. And the review of current statutory deterrents, including those required by HB 2015.” That bill just took effect on the first of this year.As our readers are well aware, the practice of employee misclassification happens when companies pretend their workers are independent subcontractors when, by law, those workers should be properly classified as employees.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
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Software Advice has released the results of their 2014 buyer review for construction software. An article written by Janna Finch, Managing Editor of Software Advice, points out some interesting results.Seventy-eight percent (78%) of buyers (in the Construction industry) have no deployment preference, whereas most buyers in other industries tend to prefer cloud-based systems. The most frequently cited reason for buying new (construction) software is increased efficiency or productivity, with 28 percent of the sample saying they hoped to achieve this benefit.
April 09, 2014
E'hem. Excuse me for just a moment, but I have to toot the horn of my good friends at Chamberlin. These folks sure are making me proud!In just the last few months, the Chamberlin team has been showered with kudos and awards from the likes of ABC, AGC, ASA, IREM and NRCA. We have been honored for National Excellence in Construction, National Safety Excellence and Construction Safety Excellence. Members of the Chamberlin team have been recognized for zero lost work days and named MVP by the Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress. We've been honored for supporting the community at large and for being a player in our industry circle.
April 08, 2014
Construction posts gains in March jobs, February spending; costs accelerate, RLB saysEditor’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.Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 192,000, seasonally adjusted, in March and 2,246,000 (1.7%) over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. Construction employment rose by 19,000 for the month and 151,000 (2.6%) over the year to 5,964,000, the highest total since June 2009. Residential construction employment (residential building and specialty trade contractors) climbed by 9,100 for the month and 103,000 (4.8%) for the year. Nonresidential employment (building, specialty trades, and heavy and civil engineering construction) rose by 9,900 from February and 48,800 (1.3%) year-over-year.
April 07, 2014
If so, here is an opportunity for you to hear the outlook from some of the leading economists in the industry. Reed Construction Data is presenting an online conference that features one of our Construction Citizen authors, Ken Simonson, the chief economist for the AGC. On Thursday, April 17, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. EDT, Ken will join Kermit Baker of the AIA and Bernard Markstein of Reed Construction Data for their semiannual insight into the outlook for 2014 construction. At the end of the presentation, the economists will answer questions from the audience.
April 04, 2014
The problem of human trafficking in construction and other industries was on full display at the American Jewish Committee's Immigration Summit 3.0 on March 18 at Rice University in Houston. The panel discussion – featuring Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Letty Ashworth from Delta Airlines and your humble correspondent – focused on what government and business leaders can do to combat the problem.No matter how anyone spins it, comprehensive immigration reform is a huge part of the solution. Law enforcement must be enabled to go after those who are actually doing harm to others and not the wider group of people whom many are mad at for being undocumented.The people who end up as victims of human trafficking may not be who you think. While there are far too many women and children caught up in the criminal enterprise, there are also very many men who are trafficked for their labor.
April 03, 2014
Originally posted on Marekbros.com.The Build Your Future (BYF) initiative along with various industry partners are excited to announce that they have teamed up in San Antonio to host a Construction Career Day event on April 9, 2014 at Freeman Coliseum's Expo Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.We are anticipating over 600 students from 20 different schools from San Antonio and the surrounding areas, up from last year’s student attendance of around 350. These students will have an opportunity to watch equipment and welding demonstrations, speak with local employers in the construction industry, and visit booths representing various professions in construction.The goal of this event is to encourage awareness to the different construction trades and lead students into long-term rewarding careers in construction.
April 02, 2014
37 states added jobs in year ending in February; population growth swings to big metrosEditor’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.Sign up here for complimentary webinar on construction outlook on April 17 with me; AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker; and Reed Construction Data’s Chief U.S. Economist, Bernard Markstein.Seasonally adjusted construction employment increased in 37 states between February 2013 and February 2014, decreased in 10 states and the District of Columbia, and remained level in Hawaii, Maine, and South Dakota, an AGC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday showed. The largest percentage gains were in Florida (11%, 39,200); Nevada (10.4%, 5,800 jobs); Oregon (9.8%, 7,000); Minnesota (8.1%, 7,900) and Connecticut (7.2%, 3,800).
April 01, 2014
We have been writing about the critical need for controlling security on your jobsite to prevent possible injuries, to track materials, to avoid tool theft, and in the case of the new One World Trade Center building, to protect the construction sites from falling prey to possible terrorism. This issue is front page again.CBS New York reported that the newly appointed head of security at the One WTC construction site, former FBI field agent David Velazquez, is taking the fall for recent the security breaches even though the first reported one took place before he had taken over his position. The Velazquez resignation came on the heels of the disclosure that on September 30 of last year, four thrill-seeking BASE jumpers entered the site through a hole in the security fence, climbed the 104 stories to the top of the building, and then jumped in a stunt that would make GoPro proud.This major breach was not disclosed until six months after it happened and only after a second breach by teenager Justin Casquejo, age 16, of Weehawken, NJ just a week ago.
March 31, 2014
Safety is critical on every construction site. It matters every minute of every day and not just during the safety talk, incident review, OSHA audit or client incident report.According to ENR, 31 major contractors are launching the first annual “Safety Week” May 4-10 to bring additional attention to the issue on a nationwide basis. These contractors are asking other firms to join in to raise the safety consciousness of every worker on every construction site.From the ENR article, the organizers “belong to either the Construction Industry Safety Initiative or the Injury Free Executive Forum. The companies in the groups can be fierce competitors, but they also meet regularly and exchange ideas about safety.
March 28, 2014
