Texas and Vermont Have Worst February-December Losses While Virginia and Alabama Add the Most; Arizona, Delaware Have Worst One-Month Job Losses As California, New Hampshire Top Other States
2020 was a rough year for networking events. After the CLC of Middle Tennessee鈥檚 鈥淯gly Christmas Mask鈥 holiday event was cancelled due to city health regulations, they thought they were done for the year. But then the call came from the Ronald McDonald House of Nashville.
The staff at the Ronald McDonald House of Nashville wanted to 鈥淟ight up the House鈥 for the holiday season. These families were under an extremely strict quarantine with their children in local hospitals. The staff wanted to bring some extra holiday cheer to their hearts. They immediately called the Construction Leadership Council and asked if volunteers would come out and decorate the main entrance of the House with family friendly holiday d茅cor. CLC happily partnered with them, Lumenate, and the local News Channel 2 to help raise money and decorate the House.
Despite restrictions to in-person gatherings during the 2020 holiday season, the General Building Contractors Association鈥檚 (GBCA) Construction Leadership Council (CLC) still found a way to support Philadelphians in need and provide some much-needed holiday spirit. In 2020, the CLC moved its holiday fundraising activities predominantly online.
Jolsna Thomas has over 14 years of experience in the construction industry originally focused on the law and then she branched into the areas of business development, marketing, sales, and nonprofit work. Thomas serves as Business Development Manager for Rosendin Electric, Inc., one of the largest employee-owned electrical contractors in the United States. In addition to leading Business Development efforts in Texas, she serves on Rosendin鈥檚 Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and is President of The Rosendin Foundation, its 501(c)(3) charitable foundation. Thomas serves on the 乌鸦传媒 of America Business Development Forum Steering Committee as well on the board of directors for the Real Estate Council of Austin, Austin Convention Enterprises, Inc., and South Asian Bar Association of Austin.
Final Vote on Nomination Expected in Coming Weeks
On January 20, President Biden signed several executive orders to start work on his campaign promises to take steps on climate change and environmental justice as well as heighten enforcement. The transition team circulated a list of regulations to review include many that 乌鸦传媒 has advocated on in recent years, such as waters of the United States (WOTUS), species concerns, and streamlining of federal reviews and approvals. This review process will take time and in some cases years to occur; and 乌鸦传媒 will continue to stay engaged. As is commonly done, the Biden Administration initiated an immediate freeze on all federal rulemakings that are underway and called for a delay of final rules that have not yet gone into effect.
On January 20, President Biden released a legislative proposal to reform the nation鈥檚 immigration system. The proposal is separate from presidential actions halting construction of the southern border wall or preserving and fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The legislative reform proposal would create a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented individuals through a multi-year process if individuals pay taxes, pass background checks, and meet other requirements. Other individuals, such as those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, could receive permanent status immediately. Extending long-term legal certainty to DACA and TPS has long been a priority of 乌鸦传媒, as more than 100,000 individuals in those programs are estimated to be working in the construction industry today. Despite 乌鸦传媒 and others advocating for comprehensive immigration reform over the past two decades, those efforts have been stymied under both Republican and Democratic administrations. 乌鸦传媒 looks forward to working with Congress on immigration reform that strengthens national security, functions efficiently and fairly, and addresses future workforce needs.
Pres. Biden has revoked Pres. Trump鈥檚 controversial executive order on diversity and inclusion training. The order, Executive Order 13950, placed restrictions on the content that federal contractors, grantees, and agencies, as well as the military, could cover in employee training. 乌鸦传媒 and other stakeholders in the business community called on Pres. Trump to withdraw the confusing order last October. In December, a federal court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction temporarily halting implementation of the restrictions on federal contractors and grantees.
On January 15, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to approve revisions to EEOC鈥檚 Compliance Manual Section on Religious Discrimination. The Commission had not updated the Compliance Manual since 2008.
On December 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued All Agency Memorandum (AAM) 235 rescinding AAM 212 and once again confirming that surveying work is not covered by the Davis-Bacon Act. At this time, it is unclear how the new Biden administration DOL will approach this particular situation.