Construction Today - December 2009 - (Page 248) CONSTRUCTION LAW Industrial The legal implications of the Free Choice Act might turn the tide in construction. BY TODD FREDRICKSON A CHANGING CLIMATE O rganized labor’s membership in the private sector has plummeted to 7.8 percent – an all-time low. As a result, unions have turned to an aggressive legislative agenda designed to tilt the scales in their favor. Among their priorities are the deceptivelynamed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and the Re-Employment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers (RESPECT)Act. EFCA, a bill that would radically alter 75 years of labor law governing the representation rights of employees, would fundamentally change three critical aspects of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA): eliminating NLRBsupervised secret ballot elections in favor of “card check,” enabling unions to organize employees merely by convincing or coercing a majority of them to sign union authorization cards; changing the rules of bargaining by imposing mandatory mediation and interest arbitration on parties that are unable to reach an agreement on their own within 130 days; and subjecting employers to substantially increased penalties and remedial relief. The RESPECT Act would narrow the scope of individuals who would be considered supervisors under the NLRA. If passed, it would reduce significantly the number of employees considered supervisory (thereby increasing the number of employees eligible for union representation) and effectively would decrease the number of employees permitted to campaign on behalf of the employer in response to a union organizing effort. In effect, this act would deprive employers of individuals who are the eyes and ears of the company in responding lawfully to a union campaign. Practical Effects of EFCA Until now, an employer blindsided by an underground organizing campaign could respond during the ensuing six-week “cam- CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM DECEMBER 2009 http://www.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Construction Today - December 2009 Construction Today - December 2009 Contents News/People/Calendar 2010 Construction Forecast Special Focus Product Showcase: Hand Tools F&R Construction Group Inc. Suffolk Construction: Met 2 Weitz Co.: Solaris at Crossroads Chance Construction Co. Allied Building Products Corp. Bird Construction Co. Inc.: Condado Vanderbilt Hotel Broccolini Construction Inc.: EDC Headquarters CJ Pink Ltd. Cobra Corporate Management Inc. DDRM: The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort IDEURBAN Q.B. Construction T.N. Ward Co. EllisDon: North Park Quad Pad Arena REIG Capital Rehabilitation Blumenfeld Development Group & Forrest City Ratner – East River Plaza Clark Construction: Michigan International Speedway Morton Buildings Inc. TRACO Triangle Associates Inc.: The Gallery on Fulton Vogel Bros. Building Co. Walsh Construction: Mercy Corps. Wasatch Advantage Group: San Tropez Profitable Contractor John W. Danforth Co. Shore Environmental LLC S.T. Wooten American Civil Constructors Inc. Archer Western: I-75/I-475 Reconstruction Cleland Site Prep Inc. Delaware DOT: Indian River Inlet Bridge Goodfellow Bros. Inc. International Construction Equipment Inc. Kiewit Pacific Co.: SR 519 – Seattle Intermodal Access Project Plaza Construction Corp. B. Gottardo Construction Ltd. Bergmann Associates: Walkway Over The Hudson Craig Olden Inc. G.M. Sipes Construction Inc. Idaho Sand & Gravel Co.: Ten- Mile Interchange J.F. White Malcom Drilling Co. Inc. Mid Eastern Buildings Inc.: Southampton Wastewater Treatment Plant Minnesota Department of Transportation: I35W Crosstown/ Urban Partnership Nicholson Construction Co. Papich Construction Co. Inc.: Route 46 Expansion Project Tilcon New York Inc.: Interstate Tyam Excavation and Shoring Ltd. W.C. English Inc.: U.S. 321 West Electric Corp. Industry Trends Turner Construction Co.: Eastern High School Gafcon Inc.: Carlsbad High School Modernization Project DASNY: Gouverneur Healthcare Services Stuart Olson: University of Lethbridge Markin Hall University of Houston Student Housing HDR Architecture Inc. Marshall-Lee Construction Corp. RA-LIN & Associates Suffolk Construction: Boston Renaissance Charter School Suffolk Construction: FIU School of International and Public Affairs Swinerton Builders Tower Construction: Huntington Memorial Hospital expansion Absher Construction Co.: Chief Sealth High School and Denny International Middle School Bird Construction Casey Middle School Cedar Ridge High School Clark: Lowell Reception Center Gilbane/Banks Joint Venture: Coppin State University Hensel Phelps Construction Co.: FORSCOM/USARC New Headquarters Shaw Construction: Mesa State College Student Center Shiel Sexton: Butler University SpawGlass Contractors Inc.: Austin Community College Rio Grande Campus Parking Garage Stuart Olson: New Edmonton Remand Centre The Christman Co. Turner Construction Co Weddle Construction Ltd. Construction Coach Polimeni International Greenpark Homes Kite Realty Group Trust: Eddy Street Commons at NotreDame Construction Law Lake HVAC Centerpoint Builders Last Look: DANSY Construction Today - December 2009 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/phoenix/ct_201109 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/phoenix/ct_201108 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201107 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201106 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201105 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201104 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201103 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201102 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201101 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201012 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201011 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201010 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201009 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201008 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201007 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201006 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201005 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201004 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201003 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201002 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/businessmedia/ct_201001 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/schofield/ct_200912 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/schofield/ct_200911 http://digital.construction-today.com/nxtbooks/schofield/ct_200910 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/schofield/ct_200909 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.