ASAMW is Meeting with its GC Partners to Discuss Expectations
Some of ASAMW’s GC Partners are willing to share the thoughts taken from our discussions with them. Just reply to this email if you would like a copy of one or more of the write-ups taken during the meetings. Forrester, Balfour Beatty and LF Jennings will share their comments. Some recent take-aways include:
- Your (SUB) Foremen are not speaking up enough at scheduling meetings. They should be empowered and trained to speak up about the effects on their schedules.
- Lenders are part of the problem in getting retainage paid promptly.
- Subs need to provide a punch list at the end of the job – not just wait for the GCs.
- Do not use “by others” in a change or other correspondence. Name who the “other” is whom you expect to do the work.
Avoid Wage Theft on Your Projects
GC partner Balfour Beatty and non-member subcontractor C. J. Coakley are named in a lawsuit brought by at least 40 workers claiming unpaid wages, etc. by a subcontractor of C. J. Coakley. Unfortunately, when a sub is hired by another sub to perform the work, that sub’s wage theft is borne by the sub and the general contractor. This is explained in this Construction Dive article.
Fines for wage theft in other parts of the country are explained in this Construction Dive article.
ASAMW met with Kenneth Mallick, with Mallick Mechanical, to get his suggestions on how this association should address wage theft. What would you say if ASAMW took a more aggressive stance toward stopping the use of independent contractors who are in fact employees? The Board will be discussing the options.
Fast Track Claims?
This ConsensusDocs article offers suggestions about the use of Fast Track procedures of AAA or JAMS to address the smaller claims that most subs find are too expensive to pursue. Don’t you think it is time to get paid for the work you did even if the owner or GC do not think you are due payment? Why let the owner and GC be the only ones to decide?
Population Growth
This release from the Census Bureau is interesting to me, but not very newsy for our region. Over all the DMV is not in the fastest growing areas, nor is it among the fastest declining areas in the country. We are just in the middle.
Immigration’s Effect on Construction
A Controversial immigration bill in Texas had people across the nation worried that construction workforce issues will only get worse. Studies by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) show “immigrants make up one in four construction workers, and even more (31%) in the trades." They show the immigrant workforce is 34% in Maryland, 26% in DC and 24% in Virginia.
Bridge Collapse
We received words of support from ASA National and other chapters concerning the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. I have not heard any of our members or members of the Baltimore Chapter were impacted. However, the impact will be felt throughout the region as the effects of this disaster unfold.
Spring Golf Tournament at Whiskey Creek
The upcoming Spring Golf Tournament on April 11th is now sold out! Sponsorships are still available. Save the date for our next tournament at Stonewall Golf Club on September 5th.
MEMBER UPDATES
New Members
- We are pleased to welcome Dale Dixon and Joe McCampbell with JS Global to the family of the BEST subcontractors in the DMV.
- We are also pleased to welcome David Amaya and the team at Innovation Mechanical, Inc. to the ASAMW family.
HITT’s Subcontractor Connection includes information about their 2024 Master Subcontract Agreement (MSA).
Preferred Insurance relocated its office to a larger space in Fairfax. They have also refreshed their Website. Ryan Hogan with Preferred reminds us that teens working in your companies require special attention. Read here how you can make it possible.
Give Back
Join ASAMW member BION for their 1st Annual Charity Golf Tournament supporting CASA, an organization that advocates for abused and neglected children. The tournament will be held on April 29th at Westfields. It's a great way to enjoy a day of golf while making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children. Click here to learn more and sign up!
ADVOCACY
DC - Dept of Buildings to stop illegal construction. As reported last time, Board member Andy Steele with Steele Foundation is meeting with DC’s new Department of Buildings to stop illegal construction in the district. Here is the correct link to the news report about this situation.
Maryland - A non-member supplier in the Mechanical Trades has determined that lien waivers are no longer required to be notarized in Maryland and DC. You might want to check with your attorney to see if they agree.
HB 994 / S 921 are bills that requite retainage on Public Work to be paid in 90 days. Maryland (Code 9-304) now requires payment of Retainage in 90 days after Substantial Completion on all private work.
Virginia - No report
