News
Local Pension Plans Healthier than Most
Doug Peterson AGC Labor Relations Director
A review of pension plans across the country is very troubling. A recent survey by the National Coordinating Committee of Multiemployer Plans showed that over 50 percent of the reporting plans are below 80 percent funding. By comparison the plans of the...
Posted on 09/24/2013
AGC Members Make the Case for Transportation Funding
Thanks to AGC members who have participated or are planning to participate in transportation hearings being held throughout the state!
The Washington State Senate Republican Caucus reports that hundreds of Washington citizens turned out to share their thoughts and ideas on state transportation i...
Posted on 09/24/2013
Renewed Push for Transportation Package
AGC and its partners in the Keep Washington Rolling coalition are implementing a campaign aimed at convincing the Legislature to pass a new transportation package in a special session or as soon as possible during the 2014 session.
Keep Washington Rolling (KWR) is a statewide group that includes...
Posted on 09/10/2013
New Affirmative-Action Rules Finalized
On August 27 the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced two final rules that will expand the affirmative-action obligations of direct federal contractors and their subcontractors with regard to veterans and individuals with disabilities. The rules upda...
Posted on 09/10/2013
Inslee's Executive Order Impacts Contractor-Selection Process
Governor Inslee recently signed an executive order “requiring consideration of lifecycle and operating costs in public-works projects.”
The order requires agencies – when hiring an architect engineer GC/CM or Design Build firm for projects funded by the state’s capital budget — to consider the f...
Posted on 09/09/2013
74% of Construction Firms Having Trouble Finding Qualified Workers
Nearly three-fourths of construction firms across the country report that they are having trouble finding qualified craft workers to fill key spots amid concerns that labor shortages will only get worse according to the results of an industry-wide survey released today by AGC of America. Associa...
Posted on 09/09/2013
Washington Court of Appeals Narrows Six-Year Statute of Repose
By Paul R. Cressman Jr.
The time limit on a claim for a construction defect is governed by a statute of repose and a statute of limitation. A statute of repose terminates a right of action after a specified time even if injury has not yet occurred. Under RCW 4.16.310 the statute of repose term...
Posted on 08/26/2013
Seattle Agrees – No Sales Tax on Construction Retainage Bonds
By Jerry Dinndorf AGC Seattle District Manager
Thanks to the due diligence of Mike Pellitteri PELLCO Construction and a legal assist from Tymon Berger Ashbaugh Beal the City of Seattle reversed its long standing policy of charging sales tax on retainage bonds.
Mike questioned the appropriatenes...
Posted on 08/26/2013
Changing Lives at the OE Regional Training Program
From a distance the surprising sight of multi-colored tower cranes crawlers and mobile cranes sprouting from the brown hills of Ellensburg looks artistic like an off-the-beaten-track sculpture garden.
But even though they look great the dozens of pieces of heavy equipment – cranes loaders forkli...
Posted on 08/26/2013
Lean Construction Training Offered by AGC Education Foundation
AGC Education Foundation (AGCEF) is piloting a Lean Construction Series to help contractors reduce costs through streamlining and efficient project management keep work flowing so that crews are always productive installing product reduce inventory of material and tools and improve bottom lines.
...
Posted on 08/26/2013
L&I Announces New COHEs
Labor and Industries press release:
The Department of Labor & Industries has finalized new agreements with health-care organizations to provide Centers of Occupational Health and Education (COHEs). COHEs are organizations that improve medical treatment for Washington’s injured workers.
“The...
Posted on 08/12/2013
WSDOT's Disparity Study Suggests DBE Goals up to 14.9%
AGC takes issue with a report that recommends DBE goals between 8.4% and 14.9% on federally-funded WSDOT projects.
“AGC is supportive of the policies and ideals behind assuring opportunities to minority and women owned contractors” AGC President Butch Brooks (Brooks Construction Management) told...
Posted on 08/12/2013
Mark Your Calendar to Participate in Transportation Reform Meetings
AGC members are encouraged to mark their calendars and participate in one or more of the following meetings requested by Senate Transportation Committee Co-chair Curtis King to discuss transportation reforms. (Click here for an article giving more background info on the meetings.)
Times and spe...
Posted on 08/12/2013
WSDOT Reform Takes Center Stage
Two substantive efforts to consider reforms of WSDOT and transportation spending are underway.
AGC is participating in a legislatively-mandated study of transportation cost-drivers. Meanwhile Senate Transportation Committee Co-Chair Curtis King has announced a series of meetings around the stat...
Posted on 08/12/2013
Contractors' Insurance Rights Wins Round in Court
By John Riper Ashbaugh Beal
AGC of Washington recently gave amicus support in successfully persuading the state’s highest court to grant special review of a case that could be important to construction contractors’ insurance rights. The case involves the circumstances in which an insurance comp...
Posted on 08/12/2013
Congressman Kilmer Updates AGC
Written by Congressman Kilmer
Seven months after becoming the new Representative from Washington’s 6th District one of the questions I’m probably asked most is this: “Is Congress as bad as it looks?”
The short answer is that Congress continues to be somewhat of a “fixer-upper.” Unfortunately t...
Posted on 07/31/2013
AGC Founding Member of Tax Coalition on Effective Rates
AGC of America and its partners established the Coalition for Fair Effective Tax Rates which officially launched last week. The focus of the group is to persuade lawmakers opinion leaders and the public to view tax reform through the lens of effective tax rates the amount in taxes that businesses...
Posted on 07/30/2013
House Passes AGC Supported Coal Ash Bill
By a vote of 265-155 the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed HR 2218 Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013 which prevents the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from designating fly ash and other coal ash residuals from being classified as a hazardous waste. The legislation...
Posted on 07/29/2013
WSDOT Sec. Peterson Talks Permit Reform, Culverts
Permitting reform is shaping up to be one of the more politically popular reforms impacting transportation construction. WSDOT Secretary Lynn Peterson told the audience at the AGC-WSDOT annual meeting that streamlined permitting is one of the department’s priorities. Last week Senate Majority C...
Posted on 07/29/2013
Elcon, Nutter, Manson-Mowat JV, Graham among AGC-WSDOT Excellence Winners
Seven transportation construction projects were honored for administrative and environmental excellence by WSDOT and AGC of Washington. Awards were presented at the AGC-WSDOT annual meeting in Fircrest WA.
Five projects were selected as winners of Partnership for Excellence in Contract Administr...
Posted on 07/29/2013
Endorsements: Ballots Hit the Mail This Week
Believe it or not its election season once again! Ballots for this years important off-year elections are hitting the mail. AGCs BUILD PAC has made several endorsements including Jan Angel running in the special election in the 26th District State Senate race and Ed Murray for Seattle Mayor. A...
Posted on 07/16/2013
Flatiron Linksters Win Safety Team Golf Tourney
It was a perfect 85 degrees at this year’s 15th Annual AGC Safety Team Golf Tournament at High Cedars Golf Course. Check out all the photos -- courtesy of Cascade Concrete Sawing & Drilling -- on AGCs Facebook page.
With a full field of golfers we congratulate the team from Flatiron Constr...
Posted on 07/16/2013
AGC Organizes Improvements and Repairs to the Center for Wooden Boats
Members of AGC of Washington whose building overlooks the CWB’s Lake Union site and the National Electrical Contractors Association are having a special impact on the facility by providing materials equipment and skilled carpenters electricians roofers crane operators and other craftsmen for a se...
Posted on 07/16/2013
Contractor Open House for Children and Family Justice Center
From King County Facilities Management Division:
A Contractor Open House will be held on July 19 to discuss King Countys intent to replace the Youth Services Center at 12th and Alder in Seattles First Hill neighborhood. The new $210 million Children and Family Justice Center will be built on the...
Posted on 07/15/2013
How Can WSDOT Projects be Built More Efficiently?
Please take this brief confidential survey to share your thoughts on transportation project cost drivers and potential efficiencies. The Legislature appropriated funds for a study the goal of which is to construct WSDOT projects more efficiently and to build and operate them at a lower cost whil...