News Archive
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Biden-Harris administration finalizes executive order requiring PLAs on large federal projects
On December 18, 2023, the Biden-Harris administration announced regulations that will implement President Biden’s executive order requiring project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects costing $35 million or more. The executive order is expected to create [...]
DOL finalizes rule on classifying workers as employees or independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act
On Tuesday, January 9, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued its final rule to help workers and employers better understand how to analyze who is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This rule, which went into effect Ma [...]
Setting the record straight: UP puts on sunny public face while lashing out on the ballast
On Thursday, January 18, the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and its new “All in it to win it” PR campaign were spotlighted in an article from Progressive Railroading. In it, UP’s CEO Jim Vena and his team of executives did their best to paint a happy picture of a thriving compan [...]
New training for business managers aims to strengthen member representation
SMART’s Education Department has long offered training for newly elected local union business representatives and agents. But during unrelated efforts to better train union leadership, retired SMART General Vice President Tim Carter recently explained, “It occurred to us: The [...]
San Diego City Council passes citywide PLA
The San Diego City Council unanimously approved a seven-year citywide project labor agreement (PLA) that will apply to every city project that costs more than $5 million in the first two years and $1 million projects for the following years, rewarding a long effort by SM Loca [...]