“Please make sure that you, your family and your employees exercise their right to vote so their voices can be heard.” The following are four critical issues that will impact ABC member companies during the next four years that should be considered before arriving at the ballot box:

·                         The Employee Free Choice Act, or “card check,” would strip away the right of 140 million U.S. workers to a
 federally supervised private-ballot election when deciding whether or not to join a union;

·                         The need for a comprehensive domestic energy policy that would help grow the economy by creating and          increasing demand for new industrial construction projects within the U.S., developing alternative energy sources, creating jobs, lowering fuel prices and reducing our dependence on foreign oil;

·                         Tax relief, not new tax increases, will help reverse the current economic crisis. ABC supports capital gains tax          cuts, repeal of the estate tax, Alternative Minimum Tax relief and independent contractor clarification;

·                         Development of a small business health plan policy that will allow small businesses to supply affordable health          care to their employees. Employers should be allowed to band together across state lines to increase their purchasing power and subsequently improve access to coverage and reduce overall costs.

ABC offers a four-minute video that further explains these issues and how they will impact you, your employers and their families, that can be viewed by visitingwww.abc.org/clearchoice.

DHS ISSUES FINAL NO-MATCH RULE, SEEKS INJUNCTION REMOVAL:The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Oct. 23 issued a supplemental final rule intended to provide a safe harbor from liability for employers who follow certain procedures after receiving a “no-match” letter—a notice from DHS or the Social Security Administration (SSA) that an employee’s name does not match the Social Security number provided.  Although the new rule offers few changes from the previous version, DHS insists that it now contains additional background information and clarifies steps that employers can take to resolve discrepancies and avoid penalties.

DHS first issued its final rule on the no-match procedures in August 2007, but a coalition of business groups, labor organizations and immigrant rights groups challenged the rule in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.  As a result, an injunction was issued and SSA suspended the distribution of employer no-match letters until the lawsuit was resolved.

Recently, SSA stated that it does not intend to distribute any no-match letters to employers for tax year 2007 while the injunction is still in place.  However, at this time it is unclear exactly how long SSA’s moratorium will last if additional legal steps are taken.  ABC recommends that employers consult with their legal counsel before taking any action.

To view the final rule, clickhere.  

 BILL ESTABLISHING DATABASE FOR MONITORING FEDERAL CONTRACTORS BECOMES LAW: President George W. Bush Oct. 14 officially signed into law the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2009 (S. 3001), a bill that establishes a database that will monitor the performance of all federal contractors and grantees, including those working on construction projects.  Under the law, any person awarded a federal agency contract or grant for more than $500,000 would be included in the database along with information such as civil, criminal or administrative proceedings against that person.  The database was proposed in an effort to monitor accountability in the government’s debarment and suspension system.

 CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIC UPDATE:

Summary: The nation's economic troubles have finally caught up with the commercial and industrial construction industry as real nonresidential fixed investment, which includes the purchase of nonresidential structures, equipment and software, decreased 1.0 percent during the third quarter of 2008. The downturn comes in sharp contrast with the 2.5 percent increase the previous quarter, according to data released Oct. 30 by the U.S. Commerce Department on the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

This latest GDP report shows that investment in nonresidential structures showed the only increase in fixed investment, up 7.9 percent this quarter, compared to an 18.5 percent increase the previous quarter.

Overall, real GDP fell at an annualized 0.3 percent during the third quarter, an indication that the recession has begun. The fourth quarter is likely to be even weaker as the economic data begins to more fully reflect the massive losses in financial wealth that occurred in September and October and the ongoing loss of jobs.

What This Means: "Because the volume of commercial and industrial construction often lags overall economic performance by one to two years, the implication of this latest GDP report is that the next one to two years will become" increasingly challenging from the perspective of top-line revenue growth among contractors," said Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) chief economist Anirban Basu. "Though consumers now enjoy access to lower energy prices and inflation has become much less of a concern, consumer confidence has cratered.

"Moreover, even as the federal government ramps up spending, many states and local governments are now racing to slash their budgets as retail, income, property and other tax collections are coming in well short of expectations," added Basu. "This is not particularly good news for contractors who depend in whole, or in part, on publicly-financed projects.

"The economy appears poised to further deteriorate in the quarters ahead. Job loss is accelerating and the U.S. economic slowdown has gone global," said Basu. "In addition, the policy environment is expected to change markedly in the months ahead with the election of a new president and Congress, and this could further constrain American capitalism and its capacity to rebound forcefully from the current episode."

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~~~NEW SEMINARS BEING OFFERED~~~

PRODUCTIVITY EQUALS PROFITABILITY

This is a one-day program that will help provide employees of self-performing construction companies with a realistic view of what must happen in the field in order to increase gross profit on every job.  This program is designed for the self-performing general and trade contractors, owners, CEO’s, upper-;level managers, estimators, project and operations managers, general superintendents and field supervisors at all levels of responsibility.

This program is being presented by Michael Brunner and will be held at the Ashland Country Club, Ashland, NE on November 12, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

COMMUNICATION & LEADERSHIP BASICS PROGRAM

This eight-hour program focuses on identifying, explaining and applying the basic concepts of both communication and leadership in the construction industry.  The program is for anyone in the construction industry who holds (or plans to hold) a leadership or management position – presidents, vice presidents, project managers, estimators, field supervisors, foremen, crew leaders,
lead men, etc.

This program is also being presented by Michael Brunner and will be held at the Ashland Country Club, Ashland, NE on November 13, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

 SIGN UP USING THE REGISTRATION FORM BELOW -- FAX/EMAIL YOUR REGISTRATIONS TO THE LINCOLN OFFICE at 402-477-4522 (fax) or debh@abcnebraska.org (email)

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Training Classes

Management & Safety Class Schedule

First Aid/CPR Classes

$50.00 each attendee – Member Price/$60.00 each attendee – Non-Member

Recertification only - $40.00 each attendee – Member Price/$50.00 each attendee – Non-Member Price

¨  November 4, 2008 – 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. – LINCOLN

¨  November 7, 2008 – 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. - OMAHA

¨  November 12, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. - OMAHA

¨  November 13, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. – LINCOLN

¨  November 18, 2008 – 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – KEARNEY

¨  November 19, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. – NORFOLK

OSHA 10 Hour Class

OSHA requires a competent person on all job sites.  This course ensures that your people have the necessary training to comply with OSHA standards CFR 1926.32(f) for a competent person. Training includes OSHA Construction Standards CFR 29 1926, Scaffolds, Ladders and Stairways, Housekeeping, Personal Tools, Electrical Hazards, Fall Protection, Materials Handling, Hazardous Communications and much more!

**CFR 192 OSHA Regulations Book for the Construction Industry with new steel erection standards will be available for $25.00** each for class participants.

$135.00 each attendee – Member Price/$240.00 each attendee – Non-Member Price

¨  November 19, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – KEARNEY

¨  November 20, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – NORFOLK

¨  November 25, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – LINCOLN

¨  November 25, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. - OMAHA

Focus Four Safety Training:

For employees who are starting to work in the industry or the seasoned employee who may need a refresher course in the four focused areas that cause the most injuries and deaths in construction.  The course will cover the 4 subparts of the CFR1926 standard – falls, electrical, struck by and caught-in-between.

$90.00 each attendee – Member Price/$125.00 each attendee – Non-Member Price

¨  November 11, 2008 – 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.- LINCOLN

30 Hour OSHA Class

Federal Law requires each company have a designated trained safety coordinator.  This will give your foremen, supervisors, safety directors or safety coordinators the expertise to comply with all OSHA and State requirements.  This is an in-depth look at CFR 1926 and 1920 and NE 757 as they affect construction. Price includes study materials

$395.00 each attendee – Member Price / $595.00 each attendee –Non-Member price.

¨  December 2, 9, 16, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. - LINCOLN

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Omaha Classes are held at the Education Center, 2602 Harney Street, Omaha

Lincoln Classes are held at the Training Center, 830 Westgate Blvd., Lincoln

PLEASE DUPLICATE THIS FORM FOR MULTIPLE CLASSES 

Company:                                         Address:                                Phone:                                   Fax:               

Names (please print):                                                                       Class/Date:                            Cost:              

                                                                                                          Class/Date:                            Cost:              

                                                                                                           Class/Date:                            Cost:              

Return Registration Form and Check Payable to Associated Builders & Contractors

830 Westgate Blvd., Lincoln, NE  68528    FAX 402-477-4522

Email-debh@abcnebraska.org