Labor

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    PLA use didn’t increase project costs, Illinois study finds

    Project labor agreements increased bidding competition on awards within the state, according to research from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.

    By Keith Loria • April 17, 2025
  • an older worker trains a new worker on a construction site
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    Akacin Phonsawat via Getty Images
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    Opinion // Business Matters

    Why do we set up new hires to fail?

    The construction industry must move away from "sink-or-swim" training and instead provide early career workers with the coaching they need, writes consultant Fulton Cure.

    By Fulton Cure • April 15, 2025
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Union calls for return of ‘unlawfully’ deported tradesworker

    SMART characterized the U.S. government’s removal of first-year apprentice Kilmar Abrego Garcia as "unconscionable." Monday, El Salvador’s president said he wouldn’t coordinate his return.

    By • April 15, 2025
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    David Dee Delgado via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Trump’s immigration enforcement against employers has been gradual. That may soon change.

    Worksite visits and arrests at smaller worksites are already happening. Operations against bigger employers, coupled with the threat of penalties, are likely fast approaching.

    By Ryan Golden • April 10, 2025
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    Jeremy Poland via Getty Images
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    Trades group sues federal government over PLA exemption

    NABTU argues that a Biden-era executive order mandating project labor agreements is still in effect, despite the Trump administration’s moves to curb their use.

    By • April 10, 2025
  • An engineer looks at a table while overseeing a construction site.
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    sculpies/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    How to use tech to fill construction’s skills gap

    While new technology can be daunting for workers and managers alike, a venture chief says starting small and educating onsite personnel can help firms stay ahead of the curve.

    By Gonzalo Galindo • April 9, 2025
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    Permission granted by Bond Building Construction
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    Q&A

    Project engineer follows in her father’s footsteps

    Bond Building Construction’s Destiny Fausta’s love of construction began when she visited jobsites as a young girl.

    By • April 9, 2025
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    Permission granted by HMSE
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    Industry groups launch National Career In Trades Week

    The organizations are boosting their marketing to Generation Z as a way to close the labor gap.

    By • April 7, 2025
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    designer491 for iStock via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Protecting OSHA protects workers. Slashing its budget is a dangerous mistake.

    Now is the time to invest more — not less — in the agency, writes a safety leader.

    By Cam Mackey • April 4, 2025
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    Fox Photos via Getty Images
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    Women’s trade organization granted temporary restraining order in DOL, Trump DEI case

    President Donald Trump failed to properly define DEI in his Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 executive orders, Chicago Women in Trades claimed, thus putting its funding at risk.

    By Caroline Colvin • April 3, 2025
  • A construction worker sites on a jobsite, looking sad.
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    SimonSkafar via Getty Images
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    More worker benefits can lead to improved mental health, studies show

    Factors including paid medical or family leave correlated with reduced rates of suicide in construction, according to panelists of a recent CPWR webinar.

    By • April 3, 2025
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    kali9 via Getty Images
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    Hiring slows amid economic uncertainty

    Job openings data indicate contractors are reluctant to dismiss workers, even as unfilled positions fell year over year.

    By • April 2, 2025
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    demerzel21 via Getty Images
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    Proposed New York law would expand prevailing wage requirements

    Under the legislation, private projects receiving at least 20% in public funding would fall under set pay standards.

    By • March 31, 2025
  • A construction worker drinks water on a jobsite.
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    CasarsaGuru via Getty Images
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    New Mexico advances heat safety rule

    If passed, the state would be the sixth to implement its own heat-related guidance, after a federal standard appears to have lost steam.

    By • March 31, 2025
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    Courtesy of Arizona Builders Alliance
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    Column // Help Wanted

    Arizona SkillsUSA competition showcases trade options

    The Arizona Builders Alliance event featured more than 140 students entering contests in various craft categories.

    By • March 27, 2025
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Trump order targets PLAs on federal jobs

    The number of project labor agreements used on federally funded projects will likely decrease, though they won’t completely disappear, legal experts say.

    By • March 24, 2025
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    North Atlantic States Carpenters Union / Bert Durand

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    Sponsored by North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters

    North Atlantic States Carpenters create state-of-the-art skills trainings tailored to employers’ needs

    Carpenters union builds custom trainings that help its business partners succeed.

    March 24, 2025
  • A group of construction workers on a jobsite walk away, their backs toward the camera.
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    kali9 via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Hispanic Construction Council head calls for practical immigration policy

    Rather than mass deportation, George Carrillo suggests improving visa policies as a means to commonsense reform.

    By • March 20, 2025
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    Permission granted by SMACNA
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    Sheet metal groups roll out bias training

    SMACNA, SMART and ITI have added a three-hour program to their existing training schedules, aimed at improving diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

    By • March 19, 2025
  • Two construction workers look at a phone
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    iStock/Katarzyna Bialasiewicz via Getty Images
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    Construction job openings drop 42% YOY as labor churn accelerates

    Demand for construction workers has softened in recent months amid uncertainty stemming from President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

    By • March 17, 2025
  • Construction workers build a structure while wearing masks.
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    Misha Friedman via Getty Images
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    After 5 years, construction still reels from COVID’s labor impact

    Though building's “essential” status kept workers busy through lockdowns, the industry still has not recovered from the blow to an already-persistent trades shortage.

    By • Updated March 13, 2025
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    Sara Samora/Construction Dive
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    Construction groups decry PRO Act’s reintroduction

    Sen. Bernie Sanders was among the legislators to resubmit the law, which would make it easier for workers to form unions.

    By • March 12, 2025
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Lori Chavez-DeRemer confirmed as labor secretary

    How DOL will proceed now is not clear, though there are hints the agency may be assuming an unusually pro-worker stance for a Republican administration.

    By Emilie Shumway • March 12, 2025
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    Kayla Bartowski via Getty Images
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    Bipartisan bill seeks deadlines for union contract agreements

    The Faster Labor Contracts Act would put a clock on labor negotiations once workers vote to form a union.

    By • March 11, 2025
  • A professional podcast mic hangs in the foreground in an orange room with an "on air" sign in the background.
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    Top construction-related podcasts

    The AEC industry boasts a vast offering of informative, on-demand programs. Here are some to add to your playlist.

    By • Updated March 27, 2025