2019 Construction Industry Employment Law Forecast

Join members of Jackson Lewis P.C.’s Construction Industry Team for an overview of what to expect in key areas including workplace safety, pay equity and labor.

Workplace Safety & Health: It has been over a year since Dr. David Michaels resigned as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is still without a leader. President Donald Trump nominated Scott Mugno for the position in October 2017, but the Senate has yet to confirm him. While OSHA has not undertaken significant rulemaking for the time being, it continues its commitment to the regulatory changes implemented under Dr. Michaels, including those that are of particular importance to the construction industry: the silica rule, severe injury reporting, and electronic recordkeeping. We will discuss what this means for your workplace.

Pay Equity: The call for pay transparency and actions to close the pay gap continue to make headlines, and state and local fair pay initiatives are on the rise; however, data shows that in the construction industry, pay inequality is worse than in any other industry. Findings also strongly suggest that women in the industry typically are not being given the same opportunities to progress as their male counterparts. How will this impact construction employers as the demand for pay equity and equal opportunity continue to take center stage?

Labor: We expect several key decisions next year, including the “joint employer standard”—a rule determining when contractors can be held legally liable for workplace violations by subcontractors—and rules governing union recognition and labor contracts. We will discuss the implications of those rules, as well as key industry trends, including project labor agreements on public construction projects, and state regulations that impact labor relations. What will the rest of the labor law landscape look like in 2019?

*Webinars are CLE-accredited in California, Illinois, New York, Missouri and Texas. We are also accredited providers of HRCI and SHRM.