PCCA Journal|1
st
Quarter 2015
9
News Briefs
O
n February 4, the nationwide Coalition for a
Democratic Workplace filed a motion for summary
judgment in its challenge to the National Labor
Relation Board’s new streamlined elections rule. The rule
would shorten time frames for union representation elections
from the median of 38 days to as few as 14 days, depriving
employers their free speech rights and employees the oppor-
tunity to hear from both sides prior to voting and to make a
fully informed choice.
The motion was filed jointly with the Chamber of Com-
merce of the United States of America, the National Associa-
tion of Manufacturers, the National Retail Federation, and the
Society for Human Resource Management. The Associated
Builders and Contractors and the National Federation of Inde-
pendent Business are also challenging the rule.
CDW legal strategist Joshua Ulman said, “The NLRB’s ‘am-
bush’ election rule is a flagrant attack on American workers.
The Final Rule violates both the spirit and the letter of the
National Labor Relations Act and other legal requirements,
at the expense of rights that are critical to workplace democ-
racy, such as protected speech and employee free choice.”
Ulman concluded, “The protection of fundamental work-
place rights is a critical issue which CDW will continue to
fight for on the behalf of employees and employers.”
FMI Warns Craft Labor
Shortage May Slow Construction
S
urveying members of the Con-
struction Personnel Executives
Group, FMI recently reported, “24
percent of respondents will be unable
to bid more work and 32 percent will
experience slow growth if their compa-
nies cannot reasonably meet the need
for skilled labor and tradespeople.” Top
executives at the largest contract firms in
the U.S. took part in the survey.
“Overall, there’s an increase needed
in skilled trade workers of more than
10 percent throughout the next three to
ten years,” said Ken Wilson, director for
FMI. One large construction company
commented, “Our current hiring forecast
shows a need for 8,500 additional craft
workers by 2017.”
The top five positions that are ex-
pected to be the most difficult to fill are:
1. Operator (heavy equipment)
2. Welder (boilermaker)
3. Carpenter
4. Pipefitter
5. Ironworker (reinforcing)
FMI noted two significant contribut-
ing factors to the high demand for craft
labor:
1. The shift of the construction work-
force to oil and gas related construc-
tion. FMI estimates that by 2017
nearly 10 percent of the total U.S.
construction workforce will be part
of this burgeoning segment of the
industry.
2. The number of survey respondents
that plan to increase the amount of
work the company self-performs.
Currently, surveyed firms self-
perform less than 40 percent of
construction projects. However, 65
percent either have plans to or are
considering plans to increase self-
performed projects.
This in-depth look into recruiting
and retention of craft labor includes an
analysis of the driving factors behind the
skilled labor shortage, the most effective
recruitment tactics, and how companies
are filling the demand for field manage-
ment of the craft labor force. The report
also provides practical counsel on how
to develop human resource strategies to
improve recruiting and retention rates.
Business Groups Fight
NLRB Ambush Election Rule