Attend AGC's HR Professionals Conference and Training & Development Conference October 27-29 in Atlanta, and learn what you need to know to be successful as an HR or T&D professional in the construction industry.  With expert speakers providing compliance-related guidance for HR professionals and interactive sessions that are guaranteed to help T&D professionals sharpen skills and solve common challenges, participants will learn best practices for maximizing efficiency and effectiveness.

Register and learn more at www.agc.org/hr_td.

AGC held a regional meeting with the National Construction Alliance II (NCAII) on July 13 in Chicago, Ill.  About 50 members and staff from various collective bargaining chapters in the Mid-America Region of AGC's Executive Leadership Council attended, along with Operating Engineers General President Vince Giblin, Carpenters General President Doug McCarron, Union Contractors Committee Chairman Jim Clemens, AGC Union Contractors Committee Staff Associate Denise Gold and NCAII Executive Vice President Ray Poupore. 

NCAII is a partnership of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and International Union of Operating Engineers.  It is the successor to the NCA, which also included the Laborers, until they dropped out of the alliance last year and rejoined the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.  For more information on the background and activities of NCAII, click here.

AGC-NCAII regional meetings are intended to provide AGC Chapters with an opportunity to communicate union contractors' local and regional concerns directly to the union leaders and to engage in a dialogue to solve problems together.  The first such meeting was held on May 28 in Philadelphia, Pa. 

The July 13 meeting covered a number of issues, such as shortcomings of job targeting programs, worker portability restrictions, the need to recruit more women and minority apprentices, handbilling of union construction jobs by industrial unions protesting nonunion materials, jurisdictional disputes, the inability of contractors working on National Maintenance Agreement jobs to attain waivers from restrictions on collective bargaining, and more.

Contractors raised serious concerns about the state of multiemployer pension plans (MEPPs) and the viability of the current model for the future.  The economic model of MEPPs is fundamentally flawed and impedes organizing, asserted Harold Force of Force Construction Co.  "It's difficult to sign up a new contractor when he's going to sign onto an undefinable liability," he said.  McCarron and Gold reported on cooperative efforts by AGC, the Carpenters, and the Operating Engineers to seek statutory relief for troubled MEPPs, both in 2006 and at present.  McCarron stated that he favors full funding - a goal of 120% funding, in fact - of current MEPPs but opposes the conversion of defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans.  Giblin agreed.  The general presidents also agreed about the need for pension fund mergers.  Mergers may be difficult, but they provide necessary cost-savings, they said.  McCarron indicated that he is encouraging locals to push for mergers in their next round of collective bargaining negotiations.

As in the May 28 meeting, the general presidents expressed interest in directly hearing about local problems in a timely manner.  Contractors should first try to resolve problems with local business agents and managers but, if unsuccessful, should bring the matter to the general presidents' attention, they indicated.

The scheduling of the next AGC-NCAII regional meeting is currently underway.  Information will be announced when available.

For more information, contact Denise Gold at goldd@agc.org or (703) 837-5326.

Attend AGC's Safety & Health meeting July 22-24 in Washington, D.C., and get the latest updates on congressional activity that directly effects construction safety and health. Join more than 150 industry professionals to discuss the latest concerns facing the construction industry and network with seasoned safety experts.  

Participants will assist in the development of regulatory and legislative activity on a national and local level as well as new safety training programs and products.  Attendees will hear the latest initiatives from OSHA and other industry experts while also making visits to Capitol Hill.

The hotel deadline is June 22.  Register at www.agc.org/safetymeeting.

For more information, contact Kevin Cannon at (703) 837-5410 or cannonk@agc.org.

August 14, 2009, 8:00 am - 5:30 pm, Kansas City, Mo.
Join fellow construction industry technology leaders for AGC's inaugural IT Forum Conference: The Cornerstone for Construction Innovation, brought to you by the AGC Electronic Information System (EIS) Committee. The forum will provide participants an opportunity to discuss and share best practices on some of the most pressing IT challenges facing the construction industry.

Register here, or contact Fara Francis for more information at (703) 837-5302 or francisf@agc.org.

The AGC BIMForum met in Dallas May 28-29 and again proved to be the greatest venue for industry collaboration. The theme of the meeting was "BIM, Now More Than Ever: From the 30 Day to 30 Year Perspective."

The presentations and discussions addressed ways to achieve immediate return on investment with BIM, how models can be created to foster greater collaboration and what owners increasingly want to see. Held in conjunction with two sessions of AGC's new BIM 101 courses, the conference had more 300 architects, contractors, engineers and software providers in attendance over three full days. 

The next BIMForum meeting will be held in Philadelphia, Pa., October 8-9, 2009.

For more information, contact Dmitri Alferieff at (703) 837-5386 or alferieffd@agc.org.

(L-R) Carpenters Business Manager Ed Coryell, Carpenters General President Doug McCarron, Operating Engineers General President Vince Giblin, and AGC Union Contractors Committee Chairman Jim Clemens

The first AGC-NCAII regional meeting took place at the Carpenters training facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on May 28.  Members and staff from the Philadelphia Builders Chapter, Contractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania and AGC of New Jersey attended, along with the general presidents and regional business managers of the Carpenters and Operating Engineers unions, AGC Union Contractors Committee staff associate Denise Gold and NCAII executive vice president Ray Poupore.  The NCAII - an abbreviation of National Construction Alliance II - is a partnership of the Carpenters and Operating Engineers international unions.  The "II" was added after the Laborers dropped out of the alliance last year.

The regional meetings are intended to provide AGC Chapters with an opportunity to share union contractors' local and regional concerns directly to the union leaders and to engage in a dialogue to solve problems together.  "The purpose is for us to find out what we can do to help make your companies more successful," Poupore stated in opening comments.  Operating Engineers general president Vince Giblin added, "We need to be real partners, not partners of convenience just when we need to be."  The Operating Engineers are changing their approach from "strong arm tactics" to helping signatory contractors be more competitive, according to Giblin.   Read more here.

For more information, contact Denise Gold at (703) 837-5326 or goldd@agc.org.

Join fellow construction industry technology leaders for AGC's inaugural IT Forum Conference: The Cornerstone for Construction Innovation, brought to you by the AGC Electronic Information System (EIS) Committee.

The Conference will take place in Kansas City, Mo., on August 14, 2009, where the forum will provide participants an opportunity to discuss and share best practices on some of the most pressing IT challenges facing the construction industry.

For more information, click here or contact Fara Francis at (703) 837-5302 or francisf@agc.org.

The Highway and Utilities Contractors Issues Meeting took place Feb 6 and 7. Over 120 contractors came to La Quinta, Calif., for discussion of the issues that affect their particular markets and to hear presentations from some of the leading experts in the field.

Topics included materials prices and availability for asphalt and steel, the national implications of the California Air Resources Board's Off-Road Diesel Emissions limits and the political outlook for the economic stimulus package, SAFETEA-LU reauthorization and the Water Trust Fund. Scott Williams and Don Weaver, chair and vice-chair respectively of the Highway & Transportation Division, presided over the first day of activities, which included sessions on worker visibility standards and public works financing troubles. Brad Barringer and Art Daniels, Municipal & Utilities Division Chair and Vice Chair, presided over the second day, which included sessions on ethics and compliance programs, Florida's success with dispute resolutions boards, and OSHA's crane operator standard.

For more information, contact Scott Berry at (703) 837-5368 or berrys@agc.org.

AGC's meeting in conjunction with the NCPPP, Partnerships for Growth in Infrastructure, attracted attendees eager to learn the legislative, financial and risk management principles critical for contractors who are contemplating public-private partnerships. AGC's unique perspective as a contractor organization provides insights on how PPP opportunities should be evaluated by contractors (including the legislative environment and the contract with the owner and concessionaire).

The one-day meeting included state and local legal perspectives, government owner's decision making processes, bonding companies perspectives and financiers perspectives.  In addition, contractors presented case studies based on their own experience.

For more information, contact Jeff Shoaf at (202) 547-3350 or shoafj@agc.org.

Take advantage of this power-packed and informative January 27, 2009 one-day workshop, “Partnerships for Growth in Infrastructure: Contractors’ Risks and Opportunities with Public-Private Partnerships.”

This program is designed to discuss the role contractors can play when forging public-private partnerships (PPPs), as well as explain how PPPs can work as a complement to the traditional public works development process. The conference will also provide an excellent opportunity to network with leaders in the PPP industry.  Featured expert speakers will elaborate on the role of PPPs as an addition, not a replacement, to the traditional public works funding and development process in federal, state and local markets.

Register now at www.agc.org/pppconference, and get ready to explore the potential opportunities as well as the potential risks PPPs present for today’s contractor. Lock in the AGC/NCPPP special discounted hotel group rate of $229 + tax, per room, per night at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown conference site here.   (Discounted group rate not available after January 5, 2009).

For more information, contact Jeff Shoaf at shoafj@agc.org.