Latest news with #private-sector
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
NLRB official warns states against moving to regulate labor relations
Aug 15 (Reuters) - A top U.S. National Labor Relations Board official on Friday said proposals in at least three states to regulate private-sector labor relations when the federal board does not have enough members to issue decisions are likely invalid. NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cowen in a statement, opens new tab said state efforts to oversee private-sector labor disputes would be preempted by the National Labor Relations Act, which gives the NLRB exclusive nationwide jurisdiction. Cowen also said the current lack of a quorum at the five-member board, triggered by President Donald Trump's unprecedented firing of Democrat Gwynne Wilcox in January, has had little impact on the agency's operations. Hundreds of cases are pending at the board, which has not issued any decisions since March when Wilcox was briefly reinstated by a federal judge. Cowen, a career NLRB lawyer, was appointed acting general counsel after Trump also fired General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, an appointee of President Joe Biden. Lawmakers in New York passed a bill, opens new tab in June to allow a board that hears labor disputes involving state workers to also take up private-sector cases when the NLRB cannot "successfully assert jurisdiction." The bill is under review by Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has been a vocal critic of Trump but has not said whether she supports the proposal. Similar bills are under consideration in California, opens new tab and Massachusetts, opens new tab. The U.S. Supreme Court in the 1959 case San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon held that state and local governments cannot regulate conduct that is protected or prohibited by the NLRA. But the sponsors of the state bills and supporters of the proposals say they are necessary to ensure that workers' labor rights are protected when the NLRB is paralyzed. Without a quorum, the board cannot rule in cases alleging illegal labor practices or issue new interpretations of federal labor law. But Cowen on Friday said the vast majority of NLRB cases never reach the five-member board. In 2024, only about 40% of complaints filed with the board were found to have merit, and more than 96% of those cases settled, Cowen said. Cowen said he was confident that once the board has a quorum it will be able to quickly clear the backlog created after Wilcox was removed. Trump last month nominated a career NLRB staffer and the chief labor counsel at Boeing to fill vacancies on the board. Read more: Trump paralyzes US labor board by firing Democratic member Trump nominates two lawyers to seal Republican control of US labor board US Supreme Court lets Trump keep labor board members sidelined for now Trump taps veteran NLRB lawyer as acting GC after removing Biden appointee
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
5 Big Reasons Leadership Effectiveness Is Imperative In Construction
The U.S. construction industry is standing at the edge of one of the most transformative decades in its history. Fueled by a $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package and steady private-sector demand, the market was previously projected to expand from $1.77 trillion in 2024 to more than $2.12 trillion in 2025. At the same time, advances in technology and artificial intelligence are reshaping how projects are designed, managed, and delivered, while the rapid acceleration of clean energy initiatives is fueling unprecedented demand for new infrastructure and retrofitting. Another powerful force is the surge in data center development, as the digital economy and AI adoption require massive investments in high-capacity facilities. Yet beneath this headline growth lies a paradox. While opportunity abounds, growth alone does not guarantee long-term success. The companies that thrive will not be those with the largest projects in the pipeline, but those that invest in leadership, talent development, and organizational resilience to sustain performance at scale. In short, success will not hinge on cranes and concrete. It will hinge on people. The Leadership Imperative in a High-Growth Era Construction firms are scaling at unprecedented rates, but growth exposes cracks. As companies double or triple headcount, leadership gaps widen, succession planning falters, and decision-making slows under the weight of bureaucracy. Without intentional leadership development, the very growth firms are chasing can become the catalyst for cultural erosion and stalled performance. Research consistently underscores the impact. Organizations with robust leadership pipelines enjoy 1.5 times higher employee retention and 29% higher profitability than peers that neglect leadership development. For construction firms, where projects are complex, labor markets tight, and safety paramount, the consequences of leadership neglect are magnified. True leadership development isn't about checking a box with occasional training. It's about embedding leadership competencies into every layer of the organization—from executives shaping strategy to front-line supervisors setting daily standards of excellence. This top-down approach doesn't just prepare the next generation of leaders; it ensures cultural continuity and operational alignment during periods of hypergrowth. 1 - Safety: A Cultural and Financial Lever In construction, safety is more than a compliance issue—it is a leadership issue. The industry knows that unsafe environments cost lives. What's discussed less often is how safety incidents erode profitability, damage reputation, and accelerate turnover. Consider the numbers. Safety-related costs can consume 6–9% of project budgets. Conversely, companies that embrace a safety-leadership culture—where leaders model accountability, empower crews to intervene, and create psychological safety around reporting—see incidents fall by 20–50%. That isn't just fewer accidents. It's 15–25% higher productivity, improved morale, and greater client trust. The leaders who treat safety as a cultural cornerstone—not a compliance afterthought—will differentiate themselves in a crowded market. 2 - Reducing Rework: Through Continuous Improvement Few inefficiencies are as costly to construction firms as rework. Industry studies estimate rework can account for 5–10% of total project costs. For a firm managing billions in projects, the math is staggering. The solution isn't more oversight; it's more learning. Borrowing from high-performance domains like the military and aviation, structured debriefing systems create continuous feedback loops. Teams analyze what went well, what failed, and what must change. These insights become operational improvements that cut rework and drive efficiency across projects. Companies that operationalize these practices report 30–40% reductions in rework—savings that directly impact margins and competitiveness. More importantly, these practices foster cultures of adaptability and collaboration that scale far beyond a single project. 3 - Scaling Like a Startup: Even as an Enterprise Growth in construction doesn't always resemble the disciplined pace of Fortune 500 scaling. It often looks like a startup—rapid expansion, evolving systems, and a constant push to deliver more with less. Yet even the largest construction firms are learning that agility is no longer optional. Rigid hierarchies and siloed communication create drag at precisely the moment companies must move faster. By treating growth like a late-stage startup—emphasizing agile leadership, rapid decision-making, and scalable systems—construction companies can accelerate without breaking. Evidence backs this approach. Firms adopting agile leadership practices report 60% faster decision cycles and 30% greater project delivery efficiency. In an industry where delays can erase millions in value, agility becomes a competitive weapon. 4 - The Retention Challenge: Building Careers, Not Just Jobs The talent shortage in construction is not a future concern—it's a present crisis. Nearly 40% of the skilled workforce will retire within the next decade, creating an acute need for succession planning and career development. Yet turnover remains stubbornly high, and the cost is enormous. Replacing a single frontline employee costs 16–20% of their annual salary, not to mention lost knowledge and productivity. Mid-level managers and senior position can cost closer to 100% of salary to replace. So, even small incremental improvements in employee retention can have a dramatic impact. The most competitive firms are addressing turnover not with signing bonuses alone, but with systemic investments in onboarding, mentorship, and career pathing. Employees who see a future for themselves in the company are far more likely to stay. Structured onboarding and mentoring programs, for example, can improve retention by 50% in the first 18 months and accelerate time to full productivity by 20%. For younger generations entering the workforce, culture and development opportunities matter as much as compensation. Companies that fail to address this reality will lose talent to those that do. 5 - Building a Competitive Advantage Through People When you combine these levers—leadership development, safety culture, continuous improvement, agility, and career pathing—a clear pattern emerges. The construction firms that will thrive over the next five years are those that view organizational development as a growth strategy, not a cost center. This is not hypothetical. At EXCELR8, in our partnerships with leading construction companies, embedding leadership competencies and scalable operating systems - supported by AI-powered tools - has created the foundation for multi-year sustainable growth. In other organizations, structured mentoring frameworks stabilized turnover while strengthening cultural integration across expanding teams. In still others, leadership development programs tied directly to safety initiatives helped reduce incidents on job sites and reinforce trust across the workforce. The results speak for themselves: reduced costs, stronger margins, improved morale, and the ability to seize opportunities that competitors cannot. The Call to Action for Construction Leaders The U.S. construction industry will not suffer from a lack of projects in the coming years. The greater risk is that firms will lack the leadership, culture, and systems to execute at scale. In an environment of slowing growth rates, rising costs, and fierce competition, the human side of the business becomes the decisive edge. The path forward is clear: Growth in construction is inevitable. Sustained success is not. The difference will be made by leaders willing to go beyond the blueprint and invest in what truly drives performance: their people.
Wall Street Journal
01-08-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Job-Market Slowdown Will Test Fed's Reluctance to Cut Rates
A slowdown in hiring over the last three months could open the door for Federal Reserve officials to entertain cutting rates at their next meeting in September. At a minimum, it underscores the high-wire act they face as the economy slows at a time price pressures have picked up. Officials have been comfortable leaving rates steady this year because the labor market had been showing decent job growth, but big downward revisions to job growth for May and June have changed that narrative. Private-sector firms added 83,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department said Friday. June's originally reported gain of 77,000 private sector jobs was revised down to just 3,000 on Friday. The three-month average of private job growth fell to 52,000, down from 158,000 in February and the lowest since last August.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bahrain, US private firms sign $17 billion worth of agreements, says court of Bahraini crown prince
(Reuters) -Bahrain's prime minister, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, witnessed the signing ceremony of several agreements between Bahraini and U.S. private-sector companies valued at around $17 billion during a visit to Washington, the Court of the Crown Prince said on Wednesday in a post on X. Sign in to access your portfolio
