Spotlight

Sen. Gillibrand's Plan for I-81 Jobs Is Little More Than Rhetoric Pie-in-the-sky plan doesn't mirror reality

Employing local workers on I-81 job easier said than... To the Editor: U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has once again proposed the idea of making the jobs on the major Interstate 81 construction program local. "Local jobs" sounds great. In fact, it is great. The problem isn't the idea, it's the logistics ... Read more www.syracuse.com

"As long as PLAs are mandated on the I-81 overhaul, Gillibrand’s plan, while admirable, will simply be pie-in-the-sky and therefore be of no help to the people she intends." - Santino R. Thomas Empire State Chapter Dir. of Communications CLICK LEFT TO READ FULL ARTICLE

Government Affairs & Advocacy

OSHA Excludes Construction Industry From Emergency COVID-19 Safety Rules Construction trade groups are praising the Biden Administration’s decision to exclude the construction industry from new safety rules related to COVID-19. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently issued an Emergency Temporary Standard, or ETS, specifically for the health-care industry. In it, OSHA lays out rules employers will now be required to follow to protect workers from the spread of COVID-19. Some construction groups had feared the ETS would be made to apply to construction workers. Instead, the emergency rule is only for health-care workers. Various trade groups expressed relief on Friday. “OSHA made the right decision to issue an ETS to cover tasks associated with high-exposure risk levels and not construction operations, which are generally low risk,” according to a statement from the Construction Industry Safety Coalition, which is made up of 30 trade groups, including the Associated General Contractors of America and the Associated Builders and Contractors. The OSHA website provides an extensive list of procedures and suggested practices. CLICK TO VISIT WEBSITE Bipartisan Group of U.S. Senators Propose New Infrastructure Deal A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators are seeking support from their colleagues and the White House on a tentative infrastructure package they negotiated last week, calling the plan a “realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation’s infrastructure and energy technologies.” The senators say the plan would be fully paid for and not include tax increases. The package is reported to include: $1.2 trillion of spending over eight years $974 billion spent over the first five years The plan calls for $579 billion dollars of new spending. The spending will be focused on core, physical infrastructure. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

ALERT: Unions Increasing Organizing Efforts ABC's Empire State Chapter is aware of increased, aggressive union organizing activities. We have the resources to help you. If you are interested in learning more, please click below to contact your Regional Membership Director.

CLICK TO EMAIL MIKE KANEALEY

Biden Administration Releases Spring 2021 Regulatory Agenda

On June 11, the Biden administration released its Spring 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The agenda lists upcoming rule-makings and other regulatory actions from each agency that the administration expects to publish through the end of the year and into 2022.

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Education/Webinars

To register, please click below to contact Amy Platenik, Education Director for the Empire State Chapter EMAIL AMY PLATENIK CLICK THE IMAGE (LEFT) TO SEE IT FULL-SIZED

In The News

Effective Immediately State Mandated COVID Restrictions Lifted for Commercial & Social Settings 70% of 18+ in NYS Have Received at Least One Dose of COVID Vaccination

On Tuesday, June 15th - 472 days into the COVID-19 pandemic - Gov. Cuomo held a press conference announcing that 70% of NYS residents 18+ have received at least once dose of the COVID vaccination and restrictions will now be lifted for commercial and social settings: CLICK VIDEO BELOW TO WATCH

Biden's Infrastructure Plan Would Devastate Small Business ABC member testifies before U.S. House of Representatives

ABC Member Testifies to Congress: President Biden's... WASHINGTON, June 10-Today, Annie Mecias-Murphy, co-owner and president of Associated Builders and Contractors member JA&M Developing Corp., headquartered in Pembroke Pines, Florida, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Small... Read more www.abc.org

“Improvements to infrastructure can play a huge role in enhancing the opportunities for small business like ours to be able to bid so that we may win work and diversify our experience. These types of projects are critical for the future livelihood of small business in the construction industry. While I appreciate the conversation taking place, and a public commitment to infrastructure improvements, it is my concern that the funding directed towards construction of our nation’s most critical infrastructure under the president’s American Jobs Plan is limited and contains restrictive policies that could inhibit small businesses from bidding on these projects." - Annie Mecias-Murphy ABC Member Co-owner & President JA&M Developing Corp. Pembroke Pines, Florida

Construction Input Prices Rise 4.6% in May Softwood lumber prices up 154% from one year ago

According to an ABC analysis, construction input prices increased 4.6% in May compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 4.8% for the month.Construction input prices are 24.3% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices increased 23.9% over that span.

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Membership

Member Anniversaries for the Month of June

40+ Years The Hayner Hoyt Corporation Gypsum Systems, LLC 5+ Years Renu Contracting and Restoration Comfort Window Co., Inc. Hanes Supply Land Remediation, Inc. Winn Construction Services

20+ Years Bast Hatfield Construction, LLC Mohrmann Electric Co., Inc. Hi-Lume Corp. C.O. Falter Construction Corp. 1+ Years Avarus Solutions North East Fire Protection Systems, Inc. Northern Tier Contracting Inc. Alpine Painting & Sandblasting Southside Precast Products Weckesser Brick Co., Inc.

10+ Years S & O Construction Services, Inc. Coverco, Inc. Hoosick Valley Contractors, Inc. Power & Construction Group, Inc. Racanelli Construction County Energy Controls, Inc. 1+ Years Continued Phelps Cement Products, Inc. Slavik & Company, Inc. Tradestar Mechanical Inc. AE Rosen Electrical Co. Inc. Island Elevator Platinum Communication Services, LLC Broadstone Advisors, LLC

Congratulations and THANK YOU for being part of the Empire State Chapter!

APPLICATION PROCESS NOW OPEN FOR EIC AWARDS Application Deadline: Friday, July 30

To be considered as one of the best-of-the-best, submit your company's best project, completed in either 2020 or in the early part of 2021, for a chance to be recognized with an Excellence in Construction Award at our celebration this year in Cooperstown, NY.

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FULL APPLICATION

Upcoming Events

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Safety

Lead by example. Commit to protecting your team! APPLY TO ABC's STEP PROGRAM CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE STEP is the safety improvement tool you can't afford to go without! Application Deadline: August 1st CLICK TO APPLY

Empire State Chapter Resources

CLICK TO VIEW COVID-19 VACCINE TOOLKIT

COVID-19 RESOURCES

EMPLOYEE RETENTION TAX CREDIT

PAYROLL PROTECTION PROGRAM

COVID-19 VACCINE ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

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