Late last month the Internal Revenue Service released proposed rules implementing the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements included in the Inflation Reduction Act for certain ‘green’ energy projects. The proposed rules primarily place the onus for meeting these requirements on the taxpayer in order to receive the bonus tax incentive. One provision would exempt a taxpayer from a penalty payment requirement should the project operate under a project labor agreement. A general overview of the proposed rule can be found here. IEC will be submitting comments, which are due on October 30.

The National Labor Relations Board recently adopted a new standard in a case known as Cemex requiring an employer to recognize and bargain with a union designated by the majority of its employees unless the employer requests a secret ballot election. The election will be dismissed if in the process, the employer is found to have committed an unfair labor practice and will be required to bargain with the union. This ruling also coincides with the Board reverting back to the ambush election rules, which means most union representation elections will be held between 10 and 21 days after a petition has been filed.

The Department of Labor will be holding a free webinar discussing the changes that take effect later next month. The webinar is scheduled for tomorrow, September 14 at 1:00 pm EDT.