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New Buy America Guidance
On Monday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its initial guidance on the Buy America provisions in the IIJA. This issue is being followed closely by both ARTBA and AGC of America. You can read ARTBA’s Newsline story on the guidance here. A link to the full OBM publication is included in that article. ARTBA has also prepared a four-page summary of the guidance that is a very good overview read. Please click here to see that overview.
Governor DeWine Increases Aid for Local Bridges
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced last week that he is increasing Ohio’s yearly funding allocation for local bridge projects by $45 million for the next five years, bringing Ohio’s annual investment in county and municipal bridges to $112.5 million per year.
Funding provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for bridges maintained by the state's 88 county engineers will increase from $34 million to $74 million annually, and municipal-owned bridge funding will increase from $11 million to $18.5 million each year.
OCA Successfully Concludes 2022 Union Labor Negotiations
On Friday, April 22, 2022, OCA’s Labor Relations Division settled with Teamsters Local 436, for the 2022-2025 successor Heavy/Highway Cleveland Addendum agreement.
OCA’s labor negotiations for 2022 are now complete. Our Labor Relations Division successfully negotiated successor agreements with the Carpenters, Cement Masons, Laborers and four agreements with the Teamsters – two statewide agreements, and two Cleveland Addendum agreements.
We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the following members of OCA’s Labor Executive Committee for lending their valuable time, expertise, fortitude, and knowledge to the complex process that yields mutually acceptable and fair collective bargaining agreements:
Mark Sterling, Chairman, Beaver Excavating Co.; Andy Leffler, Shelly & Sands; Brad Miller, Miller Bros. Const. Co.; Chris Stutz, The Great Lakes Construction Co.; Dan Smith, John R. Jurgensen Co.; Dave Coniglio, John R. Jurgensen Co.; Jim Chamberlin, Jr., Miller Cable Co.; Jim Ruhlin Jr., The Ruhlin Company; John Igel, George J. Igel & Co.; Ken Lake, Kokosing Construction Co.; Rick Kusmer, Mosser Construction, Inc.; Vic DiGeronimo, Jr., Independence Excavating.
OCA’s staff is working to complete and publish the updated May 1, 2022, Union Wage & Benefit Bulletin which will contain the new union wage schedules. OCA members may check the “Breaking News” section at the bottom of the home page on our website at www.ohiocontractors.org for updates. We will also list any updates in future e-newsletters.
For questions about the new contracts and/or wage & benefit schedules, please contact Mark Potnick in the OCA office.
OCA Membership Invited to Participate in Recruiting Event May 14
The Ohio Laborers Apprenticeship office is collaborating with The 200th RED HORSE Civil Engineering Squadron to host a recruitment event at their base on Saturday, May 14th from 7:45 am to 1:00 pm at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio. This event will provide a unique opportunity for contractors to recruit highly qualified individuals to the union construction industry.
With 500 Air Force construction engineers expected to attend, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and set up an outreach table, share marketing materials, and speak to recruits directly.
To attend this event, please email Ohio Laborers’ Apprenticeship Coordinator, Vince Irvin at [email protected] by Friday, May 6th.
Event Address:
1200 N Camp Perry Eastern Road, Port Clinton, OH 43452*
* The front gate entrance is on Niagara Road.
Virtual 2022 State of the Association Program
Register Now for the OCA 2022 State of the Association program, scheduled for Thursday, May 5. The program will be virtual and there is no charge to participate.
State of the Association 2022 will include a panel of senior OCA staff and volunteer leaders, moderated by the Board Chair, Joe Griffin of Griffin Pavement Striping, LLC. The program will include a broad overview of key association goals, along with information about action being taken on current OCA initiatives.
Expect to hear about how OCA is working on the membership's behalf in areas of:
* Legislative & Environmental Affairs
* Labor & Employment Law
* Public Agencies including ODOT
* Workforce Awareness
Plan to participate and support your Association and 2022 Board Chair, Joe Griffin of Griffin Pavement Striping, LLC.
Complete the 2022 HCSS and AGC of America Highway Work Zone Safety Survey and Help Protect Highway Workers
AGC of America and our survey partner, HCSS are asking all highway and transportation members involved in highway construction work to evaluate the state of highway work zone safety by completing this annual survey. We want to collect information on the number, severity, impacts and potential solutions to highway work zone crashes. Our intention is to use the information we collect from this survey as the main focus of a media and public education campaign we will launch the week before Memorial Day and the traditional start of the summer driving season.
Please take a few minutes to complete this important highway work zone safety survey by May 13th:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RN3PGJD
And of course, please do not hesitate to contact Brian Turmail at 703-459-0238 or [email protected] with any questions, comments or concerns about this survey and our plans to use it to promote highway work zone safety.
Thank you in advance for making the time to complete this survey.
OCA Settles New Labor Agreements with Four Unions
OCA’s Labor Relations Division (LRD) wrapped up successful negotiations for four Collective Bargaining agreements with the heavy highway unions. We now have three-year successor agreements with the Carpenters, Cement Masons, Laborers and Teamsters.
We are pleased with the bargaining results, as the four successor agreements represent wage and benefit package increases averaging 3.2% in year one! The settlements are reasonable, workable, a bit surprising but very welcomed in a negotiations year backdropped by an inflation rate of 8.5%! OCA’s LRD appreciates the dedication, challenging work and expertise of our negotiating teams who successfully secured the new agreements.
The tentative agreements have been distributed to members of the union and OCA’s Labor Relations Division for respective ratification votes. OCA’s Labor Relations Division recommends acceptance of the new agreements.
OCA’s staff is also working on the new May 1, 2022, Union Wage & Benefit Bulletin, and will announce its availability as soon as it is complete. Please check for updates in the E-newsletter and on the OCA website in the “Breaking News” section.
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