Philadelphia Construction Law Blog

Reports out of Harrisburg are that Pennsylvania House Bill 874 – identified as the union intimidation bill – has passed through the House on concurrence vote. The vote was 107-91. As previously reported, the legislation now goes to Governor Wolf for signature. He can choose to veto it, sign it into law, or table it. If he tables it, the legislation would become law in 10 days.

Technology has become a huge part of the construction industry. This trend ranges from simple things like the use of email to make project communication easier to the introduction of more advanced technologies like Building Information Modeling, or BIM. While these developments have had a predominately positive impact on the industry in terms of quality and efficiency, technology has also resulted in increased obligations in the legal process. Construction businesses should understand a few of the basic ways technology has impacted the legal process, because a failure to do so could prove costly if litigation ever ensues.

The Pennsylvania Senate has passed House Bill 874 by a vote of 30-18. The version agreed upon by the Senate will now go back to the Pennsylvania House for a concurrence vote and then on to Governor Wolf to sign. Because the legislation passed through the Senate in substantially the same form as it left the House, there appears little chance the legislation will be hung up again before it hits Governor Wolf’s desk.

In a classic example of supply and demand, an increased supply in the construction market has paired with a decreased global demand to drive down the price of construction materials for the second month in a row. The primary culprits appear to be the troubled economies of China, Brazil, and Russia.

The construction market is filled with residential and commercial developers prepared to spend millions of dollars on construction work each year.  The projects that determine who spends the most on projects annually can vary in cost and size.  Can you guess the largest purchaser of contruction services, in dollars spent, in the world?

Andy Cohn is a partner in our Construction Law Department. As an experienced litigator he has tried and won many a construction case. He also reviews contracts and serves as both a mediator and an arbitrator. Here, however, is the rest of the story.

Most people think of fall colors, football, and Halloween when October rolls around. The month should also be important to those in the construction industry for another reason though. October is Careers in Construction Month.

Today is the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. Also known as the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur is celebrated each year at the end of the high holy days. It is the holiest and most solemn day of the year in the Hebrew calendar and is traditionally observed with fasting and intensive prayer.

Philadelphia has put a new city ordinance in place that implements its policy of ensuring that all employees – whether working for a public or private entity – within the city limits, get paid sick time. Bill number 141026 became effective in May. With one notable exception for people working under a collective bargaining agreement, it applies to all construction and development companies.

We have continued to follow legislation put forth in the Pennsylvania legislature that seeks to close a loophole in the criminal code that provides exemptions for stalking, harassing, and threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction if it is done during a labor dispute. The newest version, Pennsylvania House Bill 874, has passed out of the House and been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 9-4 vote. It now seems primed to come to the Senate floor for a full vote.