Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin

Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin 4814 E. Broadway Madison, WI 53716-4195 Phone: 608-221-3821 Fax: 608-221-4446 Web Site

 

Legislative Action - AGC Speaks and Politicians Listen

AGC of Wisconsin staff is continually building relationships with state lawmakers and government officials in Madison. The staff monitors all legislation that comes before the state Legislature and explains to elected and appointed officials the impact these proposals have on construction. This ensures that the interests of the contractors in Wisconsin are represented. AGC also introduces and co-sponsors pro-business/construction legislation, lobbies for funding for public works, and raises political funds to support pro-business political candidates.

The Associated General Contractors, the voice of the construction industry, is an organization of qualified construction contractors and industry-related companies dedicated to skill, integrity and responsibility. Operating in partnership with its chapters, the association provides a full range of services satisfying the needs and concerns of its members, thereby improving the quality of construction and protecting the public interest.

Jeff Hanthorn, director of safety & environmental services for the AGC of Wisconsin, conducts a respirator fit test on Jerry Aldag of Aldag/Honold Mechanical Inc. of Sheyboygan. This session also included maintenance, care, storage and selection of respirators for 75 of Aldag/Honold's employees.

Education and training services

The benefits of educating and training company workforces are obvious. Better-trained and educated personnel work smarter and are more productive. Their enhanced job performance means increased productivity and greater profit. AGC provides education and training products and services for its members' employees at all levels of the construction business. Education and training opportunities include:

Management and technical seminars, conferences and workshops - Programs are conducted throughout the state on such subjects as Wisconsin building codes, financial aspects of construction, contractors and subcontractors working together to create trouble-free jobs, customer relations, contract clauses and legal issues, effective presentation skills for construction supervisors, and project planning.

Supervisory Training Programs - STPs train on-site superintendents and foremen in management skills. In a typical year, more than 300 construction employees complete more than 900 units of this acclaimed nine-unit program throughout Wisconsin.

Construction Project Managers Course - An intensive six-day course designed for experienced managers.

Advanced Management Course - An intensive 10-day course designed for the top executives of construction companies.

AGC is also actively involved in both open shop and union craftworker apprenticeship programs, provides curriculum advice to state universities and colleges, promotes construction careers in schools through AGC of America's Build Up! program and awards scholarships to Wisconsin students enrolled in construction courses at institutions of higher education. Through these efforts, AGC is working to ensure that there are enough qualified individuals to satisfy the manpower requirements of the construction industry in Wisconsin.

Legal services - Legal counsel when you need it

"No business can expect to survive in modern America without access to legal services to help it navigate the complex web of business laws that permeate our society. AGC provides a comprehensive list of legal services to its members including: consultation and information on ERISA, employer withdrawal liability, liens and contractor liability, workers' compensation, taxes, bonds, commercial arbitration, bidding and contract award disputes and mistakes, and minority business enterprise.

AGC also provides a full range of contract and subcontract document services and offers a large selection of contract documents authored by organizations including the American Institute of Architects, AGC of America and the Engineers Joint Document Committee.

Safety and environmental services

Today's contractors cannot afford to ignore safety and the environment. Failure to properly address these issues can lead to crippling expenses and even injury or death of personnel. A safety-trained workforce is far less likely to experience accidents, thus lowering a company's workers' compensation premiums, the amount of lost time and other expenses from accidents, and the cost of OSHA citations for safety violations. Safety pays and AGC delivers.

AGC employs two full-time, highly qualified safety and environmental professionals to service the safety and environmental requirements of its members. Services, which are available to members as part of their dues investment, include:

Safety training classes and seminars - AGC conducts safety-training classes and seminars on members' job sites, in their offices and at local venues. AGC typically trains more than 2,500 construction workers from more than 200 member firms around the state every year in all safety topics. AGC also sponsors annual Safety Days in two locations statewide.

Safety audits and inspections - AGC staff inspects job sites for OSHA violations and provides a full report on what action needs to be taken to comply with OSHA safety regulations and to avoid citations. AGC staff inspects numerous job sites every year and saves member companies tens of thousands of dollars in potential OSHA fines and penalties.

OSHA Citation Service - AGC represents its members at OSHA hearings and, thanks to the knowledge and expertise of AGC staff and the strong relationship it has built with OSHA officials, is very successful at getting fines and penalties reduced and even withdrawn. In a typical year, AGC staff saves member companies more than $50,000 in OSHA fines and penalties.

Consulting - AGC's safety and environmental specialists perform research and provide information, interpretation and consultation on OSHA and DNR/EPA regulations. They assist in asbestos testing, offer hazard-communication programs and provide safety "start-up" and model safety program kits. In addition, AGC also offers an extensive catalog of safety publications and videos. The staff tracks and analyzes state and national legislative and regulatory initiatives regarding safety and environmental issues. It also lobbies both local and federal government officials concerning proposed safety and environmental regulations.

Labor services - Helping labor and management work together as a team Dealing with such workforce issues as complex state and federal employment regulations, labor relations, wage negotiations, affirmative-action policies and employment discrimination is often the biggest headache for a company. AGC employs two full-time labor relations specialists, including a labor attorney, who provide members with a full range of services to assist them in dealing with their workforce. These services include:

Collective bargaining - Each of AGC's union members can designate and assign to the association the right to act as its exclusive representative for the purpose of negotiating, executing and administrating collective bargaining agreements with the organized trades. AGC currently negotiates nine agreements, and members benefit greatly from the "strength-in-numbers" negotiating position provided by the association.

Union relations - As well as negotiating contracts, AGC's staff coordinates and interprets labor agreements, monitors Taft-Hartley fringe-benefits funds, provides arbitration services and assists member companies in dealing with grievances and jurisdictional and other disputes with the unions. AGC can also offer assistance with picketing and other organized labor activities.

Open shop - AGC's staff provides a full range of services for members employing open shop labor, including providing advice and counsel on prevailing wage/Davis-Bacon Act issues, negotiations, affirmative-action issues, equal employment opportunity and discrimination issues, grievances and disputes, and employment policy.

AGC also sponsors a registry and alcohol and drug abuse testing programs and closely monitors both state and local legislative, regulatory and litigious activity to ensure the interests of the construction industry are not compromised.

How to Join

Any firm whose livelihood is wholly or in part derived from the construction industry is eligible to join the AGC of Wisconsin as either a general contractor, specialty contractor or associate member. For more information and a membership application form please contact:

Tony Martyn
Executive Director, Membership Services
AGC of Wisconsin
4814 E. Broadway,
Madison, WI 53716
Telephone: 800-362-8022 or 608-221-3821
Fax: 608-221-4446

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