North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) are trying to make it a little easier being green. The two organizations have teamed up to create an apprenticeship program centered around investments in renewable energy. As the economy moves toward energy efficiency, both…

  California Governor Jerry Brown has indicated a newfound openness to paying construction workers the prevailing wage under his new plan to streamline housing development across the state. Brown was previously resistant to the idea, but in a press conference last week, director of Housing and Community Development Ben Metcalf made it clear…

  A judge has ruled that Manhattan-based Harco Construction is guilty of manslaughter in relation to the April 2015 death of 22-year-old Carlos Moncayo. Though Judge A. Kirke Bartley handed down a relatively light sentence — either make a televised public service announcement or pay a $10,000 fine — the firm’s attorney…

  Starting August 1, companies will be paying a whole lot more for workplace safety violations. 78% more, in fact. Will this finally make the fines prohibitive for employers? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) raised the maximum penalty for serious violations to $12,471 from $7,000, raised the fine for willful and…

  Right-to-Work. Paycheck protection. Prevailing wage repeal. If a law is anti-worker, the Missouri GOP will try as many times as it can to implement it. That’s why the Committee to Protect MO Families has launched a public awareness campaign to educate Missourians on the benefits of the prevailing wage. Their new ad features Navy vet…

  In Canada, a private member’s bill that would create a registry of workplace dangers has passed its first reading. It is being supported by the Building and Construction Trades at the national level.  The bill, C-292, would amend the Canadian Labour Code to require the Minister of Labour to maintain a registry containing information…

  A coalition of community groups, labor unions, and worker centers are calling for a conviction during the final days of arguments in a case against Harco Construction, LLC.  The case centers around the death of 23-year-old Carlos Moncayo, who was killed in an excavation collapse in New York City’s Meatpacking District in April of…

  Salvatore Schirripa, a Bensonhurst-based business owner, has been charged with manslaughter following the death of one of his workers at a Coney Island construction site in April of 2015.  The worker, 50-year-old Vidal Sanchez-Ramon, fell six stories to his death while smoothing concrete on the edge of a building.  No wire cable…

  OSHA has issued a new final rule that will require employers to keep a record of its employees’ injuries and illnesses in hopes of identifying hazards and preventing additional or similar injuries and illnesses.  The big data will be available on the Internet for all to see. According to OSHA, the new final rule [&hellip…;

  A new report has revealed labor law compliance so bad in the poultry industry that some workers have taken to wearing diapers at work and restricting fluids because they are being denied bathroom breaks.  The revelation comes from a new Oxfam report, ‘Lives on the Line: The Human Cost of Cheap Chicken.’  Oxfam is [&hellip…;

  Georgia has become the 4th state to pass legislation requiring drivers to slow down and “move over” when utility workers are performing their duties on the side of the road. They join Tennessee, North Carolina, and Indiana in enacting such laws. HB 767, known as the “Move Over for Linemen Law,” was passed with [&hellip…;

  The City of Minneapolis is poised to become the state’s first municipality to require paid sick leave for workers.  The Minneapolis City Council released details of the ordinance and announced a series of meetings and hearings that will end with a May 27th vote.  Credit for the progress of the ordinance has been given [&hellip…;