Toilet, sanitizer bill put on hold
LANSING - House Bill 5064, which would increase the number of portable toilets on construction sites and require the use of hand sanitizers or washing stations, has likely gone on hiatus along with the rest of the lawmaking process until state legislators reconvene in September.

"(Lawmakers) come back in mid-July to clean up a few budget bills, but I don't see it coming up again until the fall," said Todd Tennis, of Capitol Services, a lobbyist for the IBEW and the Mid-Michigan Construction Alliance.

Prospects for passage of the bill looked good in the House in early May, according to the bill's sponsor, Rep. Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing). However, a bloc of Democrats ran for cover after getting pressure from editorials in Detroit-area publications that said there was too much "anti-business" legislation being brewed up in the House, including this bill.

And without pressure from the public, there probably will only be a handful of Republicans, if any, supporting this bill.

In our last issue, we urged our readers to contact their lawmakers and urge them to support HB 5064, which would have a minimal cost impact on contractors. That advice still applies. On the web, go to www.house.mi.gov to get e-mail and mailing addresses and phone numbers of your House lawmaker.

"Keep after them," Tennis said. "You know, nothing made me madder than when I heard a bunch of Republican staffers snickering about this bill, saying what a waste of time it was. I don't think they'd feel this bill is a waste of time if they worked in construction."

Chamber warns of union gains
The potential for a gain in union clout after the elections in November is getting the attention of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is no friend of the union movement.

Stephen Law, chief legal officer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, wailed in a June 28 opinion piece that union leaders have "chosen politicsand coercion" to push their agenda, which includes the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act - or EFCA.

Law's commentary was part of a recent public relations effort on the part of the national business community, to forestall what just about every political pundit sees: major gains for Democrats in Congress and their supporters (often unions) following the Nov. 4 general election.

The Construction Labor Report noted that U.S. Chamber officials told reporters on June 5 that there are dozens of "anti-employer" bills awaiting action in Congress.

The EFCA is seen as the most important pro-labor bill. It would allow union organizing elections to proceed with workers only signing a card, rather than participating in a full-blown election. Union leaders frequently say in the lead-up to secret ballot elections, employers are free to coerce and fire union sympathizers.

Law told reporters that the pro-union bills would be a "radical re-write of labor laws."