News
Valuable Info Within L&I Report
The Department of Labor and Industries published a new resource on the top 25 hazardous industries in Washington as ranked by the prevention Index. The data spans a five year window and looks at the most hazardous NAICS codes in Washington based on the formula of #of claims/10000 full-time equiv...
Posted on 01/22/2013
After I-502: Be Consistent in Policy Enforcement
by Mandi Kime AGC Safety Director
In early January AGC hosted a Safety Forum on the topic of drug testing now that Initiative 502 (legalization of marijuana) has passed. With representatives from WCISAP Ahlers & Cressman PLLC and an Employee Assistance Program we discussed the impacts of th...
Posted on 01/22/2013
Members Helping Members: Safety-Source Offers Discounts
(Editors note: Members Helping Members is a new feature promoted within AGC! Were shining the light on AGC member companies that provide great deals for fellow AGC members. First up: Safety-Source! If you would like to participate in Members Helping Members contact Stacy Mullane 206-284-0061.)...
Posted on 01/08/2013
Help Us Help You: Be Involved in AGC Government Affairs
AGCs clout in Olympia is due not only to our excellent Government Affairs team but also to the active involvement of AGC members. Active engaged members are by far the most effective weapon used by our lobbying team! You can bolster AGCs clout -- and the business environment in which your compa...
Posted on 01/04/2013
New L&I Medical Network Underway
L&I has established its first-ever medical provider network to deliver health care to injured workers in Washington state. Effective January 1 workers who suffer a job-related injury or illness can see any provider for their first visit to a doctor’s office or an emergency room but for ongoin...
Posted on 01/04/2013
AGC Working with City of Tacoma
AGC members and staff have been meeting with the City of Tacoma in an effort to change their Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) Program. In addition the AGC was appointed to the City’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Permitting Reform. For more information on the HUB Program click HUB. To learn ...
Posted on 12/12/2012
Ram Construction, SSC Named \Businesses of the Year\ by Chamber
Congratulations to AGC-members Ram Construction honored as the Large Business of the Year and Sanitary Service Company named Green Business of the Year by the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce!
Many entrepreneurs dream of taking their idea of a start-up business and growing it into a strong...
Posted on 12/10/2012
0% Overall Increase in Workers' Comp Premiums Final
Its official: L&I recently announced that there will be no overall increase in workers comp insurance premiums in 2013 thanks to safer jobsites and the reforms pushed by AGC last year.
Note that the average increase is zero but the proposed increases for individual construction classificati...
Posted on 12/10/2012
Is the Fiscal Cliff Already Affecting your Business?
According to a survey of members by AGC of America the fiscal cliff is already impacting contractors and how they conduct their business. The survey results also highlight the drastic action that members will potentially be forced to take if indiscriminate tax increases and indiscriminate spendin...
Posted on 12/10/2012
AGC: Don't Drive Fledgling Recovery Off Fiscal Cliff
Good news: Local construction job numbers are the best theyve been in years. Bad news: The fiscal cliff could choke off the positive momentum.
Those were the dual messages targeted at Congress presented at a press conference held by AGC of America and AGC of Washington in Seattle last week. ...
Posted on 12/06/2012
Pot Initiative: Implications for the Workplace
Passage of Initiative 502 which legalized marijuana use under state law is not expected to have much impact on workplace drug policies. As noted in the Ahlers & Cressman Construction Law Blog presented below employers may maintain drug-free workplace policies which prohibit employees from us...
Posted on 11/26/2012
Southern District Food Bank Efforts
As the 2012 Christmas Season approaches it is time again to count our many blessings. This year has brought even more change to the world we live in. Unfortunately one of the biggest changes is the increase of families in our local community that need help providing food and gifts for children d...
Posted on 11/26/2012
AGCA, Rep. Dicks Say Postpone Automatic Cuts
At last weeks Federal Facilities event at the AGC Building in Seattle Jimmy Christianson AGC of America Federal Construction Director described construction cuts in the looming sequestration process and the impact these cuts would have on existing and future contracts. He expressed AGC of Americ...
Posted on 11/13/2012
Closing Argument in Case for Rob McKenna
by Steve Isenhart President AGC of Washington
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are Im from the government and Im here to help.
-Ronald Reagan
I hope it hasnt escaped your attention that AGC of Washingtons Board of Trustees endorsed Rob McKenna for Governor. We believe Ro...
Posted on 10/29/2012
Tower Cranes and Neighbors' Air Rights -- Should Contractors Pay?
By John P. Ahlers and Lindsay K. Taft Ahlers & Cressman PLLC
Over the past decade or so although noticeably less so in the past few years tower cranes have been a ubiquitous part of both Seattle and Bellevue’s skyline. A visual barometer of the construction market’s health the operation of...
Posted on 10/29/2012
Sunset Forces Review of GC/CM, D-B, JOC
39.10. Thats the parlance for the states alternative public works contracting procedures reflecting the pertinent chapter in the Revised Code of Washington. But unless the Legislature reauthorizes it 39.10 goes away next year. 39.10 is set to sunset at the end of June 2013 and were it to do so...
Posted on 10/29/2012
CITC Announces New Board
The Construction Industry Training Council (CITC) announced its new Board of Trustees that will serve through 2013.
Board officers are: Chair Dave McFerran from Merit Mechanical; Vice Chair Mike Price from Specialized Pavement Markings; Treasurer Adam Pinsky from S.M.E. Inc. of Seattle; Secreta...
Posted on 10/29/2012
AGC Protests Change to Fringe Calculation on Public Projects
Labor and Industries is proposing to move forward -- outside the normal rule-making process -- with changes on how it calculates employer fringe benefit contributions on prevailing wage jobs. The move would increase payroll costs and taxes for many contractors.
AGC is fighting the change. This ...
Posted on 10/29/2012
Construction Career Day Shows Teens the Possibilities
More than 900 students from 31 high schools throughout the region got a close-up look at rewarding and interesting construction careers during King County Construction Career Days held at Magnuson Park in Seattle Oct. 3 and 4.
The event is aimed at reaching future workers long before theyre seri...
Posted on 10/16/2012
Prestigious Safety Awards for DBM
DBM Contractors Inc. received two safety awards from The International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC). DBM was one of only four contractors to receive the award in the U.S. for contractors who perform single projects in excess of $750k and one of only two contractors to receive the Ric...
Posted on 10/15/2012
AGC and Members Ramp Up Support for McKenna
AGC of Washington and BUILD PAC both made significant contributions recently to the Republican Governors Association (RGA) which has been producing and funding TV ads in support of Rob McKenna for Governor. (Click here for a Seattle Times article that recaps the RGAs and other groups involvement ...
Posted on 10/02/2012
2013 AGC Membership Directory Ad Sales Begin on October 1
Sometime within the first week of October our publisher (and AGC member) Performance Publishing will be giving you a call regarding the opportunities available to your company to place an advertisement in the AGC Membership Directories (print and online). There are many prices available for you ...
Posted on 10/01/2012
SSCC Expands Gene J. Colin Education Hall
Last week local dignitaries helped South Seattle Community College officials officially open a new building for expanded teaching and training programs.
The facility at the Georgetown Campus expands technology and business development training at the Gene J. Colin Education Hall named for the Fe...
Posted on 10/01/2012
Record Crowd for National Young Constructors Event in Seattle
Husky Stadium Rob McKenna Argosy Tours Mt. Everest -- all played a role in making the recent national Construction Leadership Council event in Seattle memorable!
The Fall Working Weekend was co-hosted by AGC of Americas Construction Leadership Council (CLC) and AGC of Washingtons Future Leadersh...
Posted on 09/27/2012
What is Sequestration and Why Should You Care?
Jimmy Christiensen lobbyist for AGC of America reports that on Sept. 14 the Obama administration released a report to Congress providing a first guess at how they will implement $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts—called sequestration—slated to begin on Jan. 2 2013. This sequestration process ...