Associated Equipment Distributors

On September 8, 2014, AED president Brian McGuire published a letter to the editor in USA Today in response to the newspaper's then-recent editorial "Calif. drought bares national lessons". In his letter, McGuire compared the crisis of a drought to the broader crisis of funding national infrastructure projects. Specifically, McGuire urged the protection of what is called "state revolving funds," which amounted to $2.35 billion for sewage and drinking water projects. McGuire wrote, "You rightly observed that 'unlike an earthquake or a tornado, a drought is a slowly unfolding disaster.' I find that imagery very powerful because the broader crisis faced by our nation's infrastructure has been just that."[11]

At the beginning of August 2015, Congress and President Obama passed a short term extension for federal highway funding. The association spoke out strongly against the inability of Congress to pass a long-term solution. McGuire was quoted in the publication Bulk Transporter saying, "Obviously we're pleased to finally see some progress on a long-term highway and transit bill. . . . At the same time, the lack of urgency in the House is inexcusable. For months we've heard promises and platitudes but seen no action. Rather than rolling up their sleeves and getting to work either writing their own bill or taking up the Senate's legislation, House lawmakers instead decided to leave for the August recess."[12]

Obstacles to recruit and retain technically skilled workers cost the heavy equipment distribution industry in the United States around $2.4 billion per year. This figure represents around nine percent of earnings that companies in the industry forego due to the problem.[13] These figures were determined through a scientific study commissioned by AED and conducted by public policy masters' students at the William & Mary Public Policy program under Dr. John Parman.[14] Companies both in and outside of the industry struggle with finding the right workers with the right skills, known as the "skills gap."[13] The study's authors used surveys as the primary study method. Surveys were mailed to 430 equipment dealerships in the U.S. and Canada. The final data came from a 24 percent response rate.[14]

In 2016, AED closely watched and submitted input during the rule making process for the new 2016 federal rules on overtime.

The U.S. Department of Labor changed overtime pay rules on May 18, 2016.[18] The process began in 2014 when President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum that directed the Department of Labor to update regulations that affect white collar workers who fall under minimum wage and overtime protections.[19]

Prior to May 18, 2016, if someone earned a salary less than $23,660 and had job where they did certain type of administrative, managerial or professional work, they were not entitled to overtime pay. Now, under the new rules, if someone works over 40 hours per week, does the same certain type of administrative, managerial or professional work and earns a salary less than $47,476, he or she is now entitled to overtime pay under the new federal rules. The final overtime rule goes into effect on December 1, 2016.[18]

When the Department of Labor first published its draft rule, it didn't specify $47,476. Instead, the draft rule would have determined that figure by using a national average of salaries and it would have been updated annually. AED and employers spoke out against that provision in the rule by contacting the Department of Labor during the rule making process. As a result, that provision was changed to a fixed number. Employers were generally opposed because conducting financial forecasting would have been more difficult for companies.[18]

Employment experts have argued whether the new rules will have a significant impact on employees' ability to work from home or work a couple extra hours one week in exchange for a couple extra hours less the following week, for example. Some experts predict a significant effect on workers, while others say the predictions are exaggerated.[20] There are other issues too. For example, to avoid paying overtime, companies could increase the salaries of supervisors and managers whose salaries are near the $47,476 limit.[21]