News
School construction gets big boost in $4B state capital budget
One of AGC’s top legislative priorities this year was passage of a capital budget that increases investments in long-term construction projects. Therefore AGC applauds passage of the 2015-2017 state capital budget and the significant new investments that it makes.
New headquarters for the Washin...
Posted on 07/13/2015
New law revises requirements for apprenticeship
HB 1595 was signed into law with an effective date of July 24 2015. This change in law revises the requirements for apprenticeship by modifying the current law definition of labor hours as follows:“(3) Labor hours means the total hours of workers receiving an hourly wage who are directly employed...
Posted on 06/29/2015
2015 AGC Group Retro refunds announced
In events held recently around the state AGC of Washington Group Retro members celebrated another outstanding year of performance both in workers compensation refunds as well as lower company experience modification rates (EMRs).
“We continue to recognize our members for both their efforts in im...
Posted on 06/15/2015
Tentative agreement reached with operating engineers
The AGC negotiating team has reached a tentative agreement with the Operating Engineers. It is anticipated that the Operators ratification vote will be completed and counted by July 1st with wage and fringe increases retroactive to 6/1/15. With this settlement all negotiations are complete. All a...
Posted on 06/15/2015
Legislature: Double-overtime nearly over; no budget agreement yet
The State Legislature is in its second special session and so far no agreements have been reached on the operating and capital budgets nor on the comprehensive transportation funding package.
This special session is slated to end by June 30 but the more important deadline is July 1 – that’s when...
Posted on 06/15/2015
DOE proposes big increase for stormwater permit fees
AGC opposes a rule proposed by the Department of Ecology that would dramatically increase construction stormwater permit fees.
Last week DOE announced a draft rule that would increase the fees for both general and individual permits by 5.31% in 2016 and 5.27% in 2017. DOE says that current fees ...
Posted on 06/12/2015
What projects might Sound Transit 3 entail?
Sound Transit is hoping to move forward on its third phase with an up-to $15 billion package. It’s still a long way off with no certainty for its success as the Legislature still has to provide permission to Sound Transit to put the measure on the ballot and then it would have to be passed by vot...
Posted on 06/11/2015
New prevailing-wage determinations for portable toilets, locksmiths, more
The Industrial Statistician recently published prevailing-wage determinations regarding office cubicles and furniture lock and locksmith work portable toilets and construction of a spill-prevention control and countermeasure structure.
Click the appropriate link for the specific determination o...
Posted on 06/10/2015
Guidelines to prevent union-backed prevailing-wage claims on public-works projects in Washington
Eileen I. McKillop Lane Powell PCConstruction has finally picked up after the recession. The Puget Sound Business Journal recently reported that the top 25 construction projects in the Puget Sound region amount to at least $12.5 billion of business for the region. As many major public-works proje...
Posted on 06/03/2015
Agreements reached with four crafts
AGC negotiating teams have reached agreements with the Cement Masons Laborers Carpenters and Teamsters unions. As of this writing the Operating Engineers are still in discussions with the AGC negotiating committee.
In the four completed agreements each craft agreed to a three-year term effective...
Posted on 06/01/2015
Current-law transportation budget funds 520, tunnel, preservation
It’s not the $15 billion comprehensive transportation funding package that AGC is pushing for but the Legislature recently passed the 2015-1017 “current law” budget which will fund a few projects insert some money into preservation and maintenance and prevent a shutdown of existing projects once ...
Posted on 06/01/2015
Bertha: Contractor prevails on differing site-conditions issue – now what?
By John AhlersEarly this month the three-member Board appointed by WSDOT and Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) to assist in resolving contractual disputes on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project issued its latest recommendation. The question before the Board was narrow in scope: was an eight-i...
Posted on 05/28/2015
U.S. Rep Suzan DelBene talks transportation, pension reform with AGC contractors
Discussing a wide range of topics including federal transportation funding multiemployer pension plan reform and project labor agreements U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene recently visited with AGC members and staff in Bothell including Paul Mayo (Flatiron) Geoff Owen (Kiewit) Jake Jacobson (Osbo...
Posted on 05/28/2015
Get to know your Legislators with AGC's help!
Rep. Vince Buys visited Tiger Construction in Ferndale recently to observe the activities and complexities of a bid day. Tiger president Scott Isenhart invited Rep. Buys to provide greater context to the policy decisions the three-term legislator makes as a member of the House Capital Budget Comm...
Posted on 05/27/2015
City of Seattle signs priority-hire PLA for projects $5M or more
The City of Seattle recently signed a community work force agreement (CWA) with the construction-trades unions as the mechanism to implement the requirements of its priority-hire ordinance approved by the Council and signed by the mayor in January. The objective of the priority-hire ordinance is ...
Posted on 05/12/2015
AGC supports designation of gravel resources in friend-of-court brief
John P. Ahlers & Lindsay Taft Ahlers & Cressman PLLCConstruction is an aggregate-dependent industry. Sand gravel and crushed rock are the raw materials (aggregates) necessary to manufacture concrete asphalt road bed and utility bedding vital to the infrastructure growth of the Puget Sound...
Posted on 05/11/2015
Concrete recycling, voc rehab, permits for bridges among bills signed into law
The Legislature might be in a special session to deal with the big budget issues but that hasn’t prevented a flurry of bills affecting the construction industry from being passed and signed into law. Below are some of them; contact AGC’s Chief Lobbyist Jerry VanderWood 360.352.5000 if you have qu...
Posted on 05/04/2015
More from DOR on construction-related janitorial services and sales taxes
AGC has been working with the Department of Revenue regarding the application of sales tax rules for construction-related janitorial services. There is much confusion surrounding the issue because different rules apply to custom vs. speculative construction. The Department provided the informatio...
Posted on 04/17/2015
Legislators take another crack at capital gains tax
Called a “real solid option” by Senate Democratic Leader Sharon Nelson (D-34) a capital-gains tax proposal is contained in two bills and was the subject of a hearing yesterday. AGC is opposing the measures and AGC members who intend to sell their business someday should take note as that is the s...
Posted on 04/17/2015
Legislation gives school construction a boost
School construction will be getting a boost as the Legislature deals with initiative 1351 which passed last year and requires the state to reduce class sizes throughout the State.
Although both Republican leaders in the Senate and Democrat leaders in the House agree that the Legislature will mod...
Posted on 04/17/2015
House committee passes transportation package
In another major step for a comprehensive transportation funding package the House Transportation Committee passed out funding bills that money-wise are similar to the package passed by the full state Senate. Thanks to the many AGC members who contacted committee members in the days before the vo...
Posted on 04/17/2015
Petition urges passing of a comprehensive transportation package
Help Keep Washington Rolling -- join us in urging Governor Inslee and the Washington State Legislature to pass a comprehensive statewide transportation package this legislative session. Our economy can’t wait any longer. We have large infrastructure needs all around the state and making necessary...
Posted on 04/15/2015
Finding business-friendly programs is as easy as E-S-D
Chad Pearson Shared-Work Marketing ManagerThe Employment Security Department (ESD) isn’t just “the unemployment office” anymore. A full suite of business programs is available to help employers be successful.
Find your next employee of the month through our partnership with WorkSource.
Dia...
Posted on 04/06/2015
House Democrats' budget features new capital gains tax
The House Democrats released their 2015-17 budget proposal last week with more revenue specifics than many had anticipated. House leaders said their $38.8 billion spending plan a nearly 13-percent increase over the last two-year budget would meet key requirements of the state Supreme Court’s McCl...
Posted on 03/30/2015
AGC's BUILD PAC honors Senator Ann Rivers with 2015 Legislator of the Year award
During AGC’s recent Lobby Day in Olympia AGC Second Vice President Jake Jacobson (Osborne Construction) and Chief Lobbyist Jerry VanderWood paid a visit to Senator Ann Rivers to present her with AGC’s BUILD PAC 2015 Legislator of the Year award.
Sen. Rivers was previously announced as the recip...