|
Overtime Rule on Track for New Round of Public Comment
The Labor Department will soon solicit public comment on the Obama administration's controversial rule intended to expand overtime access to millions of workers, in what could be the first step toward revising the regulation. “The department is in the process of drafting a request for information that I think will be filed probably in the next two to three weeks asking for public information and public comment on the overtime rule,”
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said June 7 in response to a question about the rule at a House budget hearing. The regulation, which would've doubled the salary threshold for overtime exemption to $47,476, never took effect, as a federal judge temporarily blocked it in November. Acosta expressed concern that the current level of $23,660 doesn't account for the fact that “life gets a lot more expensive.” Reiterating a phrase from his March confirmation hearing, the secretary then said, “But I also think that the way it was done created a shock to the system.”
Agency requests for information are subregulatory. This means that depending on the resulting public comment, the DOL could use the process as a basis for proposing a new overtime regulation. A DOL spokeswoman, when asked whether the RFI will lead to a new proposed rule, did not directly address the question.
“The OT RFI will allow the Department of Labor the opportunity to gather information and take all parties’ perspectives into consideration in determining the best path for the rule going forward,” the spokeswoman stated on June 7. “This would include the Department seeking comments on the impact of the 2016 rule on employers and employees.” The DOL currently has until June 30 to file a brief in the appeal of the judge's injunction. That appeal was filed by the Obama Justice Department, and it's not yet clear whether the Trump DOJ will continue to defend the rule.
Highway Work Zone Crashes Spur Tech Solutions
The military's use of drones instead of pilots has spurred a Pennsylvania truck manufacturer to turn to unmanned technology to protect workers in highway construction zones. Royal Truck & Equipment is producing a driverless version of a cushioned “crash truck” that accompanies heavy equipment vehicles in work zones. These trucks are designed to absorb the impact from out-of-control vehicles to reduce injuries and property damage.
Coopersburg, PA.-based Royal's “autonomous truck-mounted attenuator” (ATMA) takes the driver of the typical crash truck, who might have to stay in the vehicle to keep pace with mobile operations such as paving, out of the equation and out of danger. The ATMA is one of many technology-driven solutions being developed to address the danger to highway workers of being injured or even killed by wayward traffic. Micro Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, developed the ATMA's unmanned vehicle technology.
Micro Systems, which has worked with drones for decades, approached Royal with the idea of removing the driver from the typical truck-mounted attenuator, Royal's marketing manager Samantha Schwartz told Bloomberg BNA. She likened the hazards of dangerous fighter pilot missions to the risks crash truck drivers face. Royal is producing the ATMA as part of a “leader-follower” system. A driver operates a lead vehicle, sending navigational data—GPS “breadcrumbs"—to outline a path for the ATMA to follow. The lead vehicle keeps enough distance to protect the driver from any collision the trailing ATMA might absorb. Click here to read more.
Majority of House Members Want Highway Trust Fund Fix in Tax Reform
Transportation Construction Coalition Helps Secure Support
This week, 253 bipartisan members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Ranking Democrat Richie Neal (D-Mass.) calling for a fix to the Highway Trust as part of any comprehensive tax reform proposal from the Ways & Means Committee. AGC thanks all of our members as well as TCC members who contacted their Representatives through Hardhat for Highways, in-district visits and the TCC fly-in. OCA appreciates the support of the following members of Ohio’s delegation who signed the letter:
Bill Johnson R OH
Bob Gibbs R OH
David P. Joyce R OH
Joyce BeattyD OH
Marcy Kaptur D OH
Michael R. Turner R OH
Steve Chabot R OH
Steve Stivers R OH
Tim Ryan D OH
AGC, along with our partners in the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), worked closely with the letter’s authors – Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Ranking Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia) – to help secure support from a majority of the Republicans (119) and the Democrats (134).
The letter was significant for many reasons including the fact that it sent a clear message that a majority of both House Republicans and Democrats want to see an end to general fund transfers that federal highway and transit programs have relied on since 2008 and, instead, are calling for any Highway Trust Fund solution that “entail[s] a long-term, dedicated, user-based revenue stream.”
OCA Future Leaders Forum Applications Now Being Accepted
OCA is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Future Leaders Forum. This forum is for the rising stars within our member companies. Due to tours and activities in which we participate, there is a limited number of participants we can accept. This program will provide our candidates with a wide range of educational opportunities specifically related to the heavy/highway industry. Application deadline is July 28, 2017. If you have any questions regarding the forum, please call Rachel Sirca. We look forward to working with our new forum members!
More information here.
|