Philadelphia Construction Law Blog

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.

Labor Day is traditionally filled with last trips to the beach and barbecues during the long weekend that marks the end of summer. Like Memorial Day in May though, it’s a good time to pause for a moment or two and understand the reason why we have this federal holiday.

As previously reported, the Kaplin Stewart Construction Law Department took the ALS ice bucket challenge recently. The event was a great success and even attracted some media attention. For some great photographs of the moments of truth, go here for the Times Herald’s coverage.

The Construction Department at Kaplin Stewart is doing its part to raise awareness and money to defeat ALS by taking the ice bucket challenge. The department has challenged other firm personnel and companies to accept the challenge by dumping ice cold water over their heads and/or contributing to the ALS foundation. The Kaplin Stewart lawyers and staff brave enough to take the challenge so far are:

President Obama signed an executive order that will have a huge impact on the construction industry on July 31, 2014. Amazingly, it has received little fanfare or attention until now.

Effective July 1, 2015, Philadelphia Water updated its Stormwater Regulations for development to meet requirements of the Clean Water Act. The changes claim to improve the health of Philadelphia’s rivers, minimize local flooding, and encourage the use of green infrastructure throughout the city.