News
The Future of Leadership for Construction Industry Women
by Liz Evans AGC Northern District Manager
Certainly no one can argue that construction is a male dominated industry. Women do not tend to grow up with big dreams of leading teams to construct skyscrapers hospitals bridges and power plants. According to John Schaufelberger Chairman of the Con...
Posted on 06/25/2013
DOE Interpretation Impacts Handling of Cementitious Material
According to a recent presentation to the Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association (WACA) the State Department of Ecologys Northwest Regional Office appears to be interpreting state laws in a manner that will significantly impact the handling of cementitious materials. If its interpretatio...
Posted on 06/25/2013
Legislature to Vote on Transportation Package
Please contact your Legislators -- even if you recently did so -- urging support for the transportation funding bill. Click Take Action below to easily send messages to legislators as the bill is expected to be voted on in the State House of Representatives today or tomorrow and if it passes a v...
Posted on 06/24/2013
Seattle Passes “Ban the Box†Law
The Seattle City Council unanimously voted to pass the criminal background check law with several improvements championed by AGC the Seattle Chamber and other members of a business coalition. (See original AGC Works article about the “ban the box” ordinance here.)
The coalition fought for amend...
Posted on 06/24/2013
Retro Celebrates Top Performers!
See AGC Retro Top Performers here! Congratulations to them all!
In events held around the state AGC Retro members celebrated top refund performance and lower experience modification rates (EMRS’s) achieved through their shared commitment to safety and to accommodating injured workers with light ...
Posted on 06/24/2013
Employers: October 1 Deadline for Obamacare Notices
The Affordable Care Act (Health Care Reform) requires employers to provide notice to employees regarding the availability of health insurance coverage through a Health Insurance Marketplace (commonly referred to as the “Exchange”). The notice must be provided by October 1 2013 and a model notice...
Posted on 06/24/2013
Construction Finance Management Association Seminar at Fircrest
The South Sound Construction Finance Management Association holds an education seminar each year. This year they are holding a seminar on July 11 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Fircrest Golf and Country Club on the topic of “Construction Contract Mistakes Case Studies.” For this seminar the contrac...
Posted on 06/17/2013
Opposition to Potential Tacoma Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
The AGC is helping lead a coalition of trade associations and businesses in Tacoma in opposition to any government mandated paid sick leave policy. Proponents are circulating a draft proposal that would mandate paid sick leave for people who work more than 80 hours per year within city limits. ...
Posted on 06/17/2013
Movement on Budget, Workers' Comp, Transportation Reform
As of press time on Tuesday morning it appears that the special session will end without a budget agreement (meaning a second special session looms) but it will close with a flurry of activity. Here’s a brief review:
Budget and taxes: Bottom line is that the Democrat-controlled House is easing ...
Posted on 06/10/2013
AGC Opposes Seattle Job Assistance Ordinance
Seattle Job Assistance Ordinance is the new name given to the Criminal Background Legislation (also down as the Ban the Box ordinance) being proposed by Councilmember Bruce Harrell. The ordinance says among other things that application forms or processes that automatically exclude all individua...
Posted on 06/10/2013
Bridge Replacement an All-AGC Safety Team Affair!
AGC would like to congratulate our members who are safely working to get the temporary Skagit River Bridge replacement done in Mount Vernon!
Companies working on the bridge include general contractor Guy F. Atkinson as well as Global Diving and Salvage Pacific Pile & Marine Rhine Demolition ...
Posted on 06/10/2013
Zero Construction Fatalities This Year!
New reports from the Department of Labor and Industries indicated that there have been NO construction-related fatalities in the first half of 2013!
This is great news and it occurs even as worker hours have been increasing lately. AGC Safety Director Mandi Kime says credit for this good news g...
Posted on 06/10/2013
L&I Targeting High Risk Employers
On May 23 2013 the Department of Labor and Industries with the support of business and labor representatives from the Construction Advisory Committee sent letters to nearly 200 construction employers in this state. The letter identified the recipients as the employers in their respective Risk Cl...
Posted on 06/10/2013
DBE Program Disparity Study Now Online
From WSDOT press release:
A study to determine whether WSDOTs contracting activities are fair and equitable for all is now available for review. The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program disparity study analyzed information about local marketplace conditions for minority-owned and women-owne...
Posted on 06/10/2013
AGC Retirement Plan Surpasses $100 Million Milestone
AGCs retirement plan reached a milestone recently surpassing $100 million in assets with the number of participants approaching 4000. Plus an independent analysis confirmed the plans below average fees.
For many employers the impetus for switching plan providers comes from new rules requiring p...
Posted on 06/10/2013
AGC-Backed Unemployment Insurance Bill Signed into Law
Workers and employers scored a big win when Gov. Inslee recently signed AGC-backed Senate Bill 5355. This bill sponsored by Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry R-Moses Lake brings Washington’s unemployment insurance system into conformity with federal regulations which is expected to save the state and ...
Posted on 05/14/2013
New Seattle Recycling Rules Coming on Line
The following information is provided by the City of Seattle. More information is available at www.seattle.gov/util/CDWasteManagement or contact Gabriella Uhlar-Heffner at 386-9772 or Shirli Axelrod at 684-7804.
The City of Seattle has adopted new requirements for recycling construction and bui...
Posted on 05/13/2013
Workers' Comp Reform has Second Chance
The Senate began the 2013 session on a promising note quickly approving three bills that continue the workers compensation reform that began two years ago. Of the three bills Senate Bill 5127 passed with strong bipartisan support providing optimism that it would also make it out of the House.
Th...
Posted on 05/13/2013
Support transportation reforms to invest effectively!
With available funding for new projects and road/highway preservation declining at an alarming rate AGC supports additional transportation revenues. At the same time there are steps the Legislature can take to help ensure additional revenues are spent as effectively as possible.
Please click th...
Posted on 05/07/2013
Where Are We on Transportation?
The legislature adjourned the 105-day regular session without passing an operating budget and a special session could begin as soon as May 13. An agreement was reached between the House and Senate on a base transportation budget however and it passed both chambers. Here is the bill that was appro...
Posted on 04/30/2013
GCCM, DB, JOC Reauthorization Passed
Legislation to reauthorize and revise the State’s alternative public works contracting procedures has been passed by both the House and Senate and awaits the Governors signature which is expected.
AGC supported the bill (ESHB 1466) as the law authorizing the use of GCCM Design-Build (DB) and Job...
Posted on 04/30/2013
Seattle Considers \Ban the Box\ Ordinance
by Joe Campos Ashbaugh Beal
At some point in our lives we’ve all filled out job applications that ask whether we’ve ever been convicted of a crime. To most of us it seems quite normal that an employer would want to know whether an applicant has a criminal conviction in their background. There...
Posted on 04/30/2013
Volunteers Needed to Repair SLU Wooden Boat Center
As its Community Service project for this year the AGC Seattle District has picked a series of small repair projects to help the AGC Buildings neighbor the Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) located at the south end of Lake Union.
CWB is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving maritime ...
Posted on 04/25/2013
Take Action to Protect Local Construction Projects
Take action to protect the Public Works Trust Fund (PWTF)! Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5895 would PERMANENTLY redirect existing funding sources out of the PWTF -- endangering dozens of infrastructure projects such as water sewer stormwater and some local roads and bridges.
The PWTF provide...
Posted on 04/25/2013
Transportation Reform Bills on the Move
In addition to the transportation revenue package (SHB 1954) AGC is supporting a package of reform proposals aimed at helping transportation dollars go farther.
The bills have been pushed by House Republicans adamant about a “Fix it Before You Fund it” approach stating reforms are needed before ...