Inside This Edition

 

Don't be an April Fool, sign your projects up for the Project Excellence Award Competition. Deadline for entries is March 30th so don't wait another day. Click the Last Call link under Inside This Edition or scroll down.   

  


    
"A rebirth out of spiritual adversity causes us to become new creatures.
James E. Faust
March 30, 2015 
MON
30th
6:00 PM
State of the City, San Leandro




TUE
31st






WED
1st
All Day
April Fool's Day


9:00 AM
Alameda WIB Economic Development Committee, Hayward




THU
2nd
8:00 AM
Dublin Chamber Economic Development Committee, Dublin


9:30 AM
CSLC Planning Meeting, Sacramento


3:30 AM
Solano EDC Transportation & Education Committee, Fairfield




FRI
3rd
9:00 AM
NorCal S&C Golf Tournament, Cinnabar Hills Golf Resort, San Jose




SUN
5th
All Day
Easter Sunday
a1
Last Call for Applications!
Project Excellence Awards Deadline Tomorrow

  

Last call for Project Excellence Award entries. Unfortunately no entries will be accepted after March 31, 2015 so don't miss the opportunity to showcase  excellence in electrical construction by submitting your 2014 projects. For detailed instructions, see the entry form: Project Excellence Awards Program Entry Form. 

If you require assistance or have questions, please contact Juanita Mitchell at the Chapter Office.     

a2
New Electri International Research Projects Available 
Next Steps in Portability 

 

ELECTRI International has released its newest research on "Next Steps in Portability as a Means to Improve the Electrical Construction Industry and Benefit IBEW Membership."

 

The report by Justin M. Reginato, Ph.D., P.E., California State University, Sacramento demonstrates that decreasing restrictions on portability, thereby increasing the ability of IBEW-signatory contractors to move key labor personnel to projects as necessary, will not lead to the problems predicted by those against such moves.

 

Reginato's research shows that open portability does not lead to widespread migrations of labor from low-wage regions to high-wage regions. Rather, portability gives contractors the flexibility to staff crews more competitively while still primarily using labor from the local in which the work is being installed. Portability provides mutually inclusive benefits that can increase market share for IBEW and increase its potential to organize non-union electrical contractors.

 

NECA Members can obtain a free PDF copy of the report  from the NECA book store.

 

This report follows on the 2012 ELECTRI report "The Economic Costs of Portability." A pdf download is also available free of charge.

 

a3
Change Order Guidelines for Electrical & Low Voltage Contractors
Next Steps in Portability 

 

The single most common area of dispute in the change order process is its cost. Among cost-related disputes, items related to recoverable direct cost, overhead-profit percentages, and impact factors resulting in consequential costs constitute the vast majority of the disagreements. All types of change orders can have these disagreements but change orders that do not address an agreed upon price are particularly prone to disagreements. Obtain the Change Order Guidelines Report.

 

Note: Critically needed Change Order legislation has been introduced (AB-1347). Greg Long has been advocating for legislation for a number of year, and plans to introduce the findings of this report on a panel prior to visiting legislators in Sacramento. Our Day at the Capitol in April will largely focus on support of AB-1347.

 

a4
Labor Relations Conference 
New Orleans  

 

Greg Armstrong and Scot VanBuskirk attended the Labor Relations Conference in New Orleans last week. The Conference brought together 250 NECA members and staff from around the country to discuss labor relations issues within the NECA structure. One topic discussed was the issue of a manpower shortage and a decline in the number of apprentices. It was stated that utilizing CE/CW's will address this problem, thereby increasing the number of skilled workers. It was further suggested that key to growing our apprenticeship is by introducing graduating high school students to apprenticeship opportunities by way of job fairs, social media, and word of mouth.

 

Other topics of discussion at the conference were the new Affordable Care Act compliance regulations requiring all contractors to follow new reporting requirements for 2015. If the new regulations are not followed and reported timely, penalties could be assessed. There were also discussions regarding legal updates, such as state limitations on inquiries regarding criminal convictions and the statutory right to use the company's email on "non-work time" for union and/or other planned activities.

 

a5
Napa County Office of Education, College & Career Readiness 
Annual Advisory Meeting 

 

Last week, Greg Armstrong and Scot VanBuskirk attended the Napa County Office of Education, College and Career Readiness Annual Advisory Meeting. Greg and Scot, along with other members of the Construction Industry, met with Tony Flare, an instructor at American Canyon High School. During this meeting, we reviewed the course curriculum and the required skills for certificates of competency used to instruct the students. We offered some insight into the key skills contractors look for in any employee. At the end of the meeting, we discussed a field trip to our Solano/Napa Training Center for the students in the Construction Class to give them a first hand look at apprenticeship opportunities in the electrical industry.

 

a6
Stanislaus County Occupational Olympics & Career Expo 
Contest Held in Turlock 

 

The 30th annual Stanislaus County Occupational Olympics and Career Exposition was held last week in Turlock. The event brought together approximately 750 students to compete in 22 career-focused contests. Local businesses and industries provided judges for the events, checking the participant's knowledge of their field of interest, ability to perform tasks using appropriate tools and employability. In addition, students had a chance to talk with representatives from 57 area employers plus discuss apprenticeship opportunities with many of the JATC representatives. The Central Valley Electrical JATCs had a hands-on display and discussed employment and apprenticeship opportunities with JATC Training Directors Mark Bowden and Dave Brooks.

 

a7
Follow Up On Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention Standards
Changes to Standards Approved  

 

California's Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board (OSHSB) has approved revisions to California's heat illness prevention regulations. After the regulations were approved by OSHSB, NECA requested a clarification document from Cal/OSHA regarding some of the grey areas to assist with compliance. That guidance document has been released and can be viewed by clicking here.

 

a8
Educational Programs

Coming Soon

 
Just Because You Are Right, Doesn't Mean You Will Win 

Description: This exciting fast-paced seminar focuses on the difficult issues electrical contractors face during a project and how to handle them. Attendees will learn how to negotiate contracts, how to review different contract provisions and how to modify problematic provisions. Roy's presentation includes sample forms which can be used by attendees in the field right now, including: notice letters, purchase orders, marked up partial release of liens, marked up change orders, sample daily log forms and purchase orders. Each attendee will receive a thumb drive containing a copy of the presentation including these sample letters and notices.

Instructor:  Roy Cohen, Construction Attorney

Date:  Wednesday, May 6, 2015 

Time:  9:30AM - 12:30PM

Location:  Zero Net Energy Center, 14600 Catalina St., San Leandro, CA 94577

Cost:  NECA Member Cost: Free,  Non-Members: $300.00

Register:
  Contact Juanita Mitchell to confirm your attendance.   
 
Basic Estimating of Electrical Construction  

Description: Small mistakes in an estimate can have a huge impact on your bid's bottom line and this course provides the tools needed to be both comprehensive and competitive. This course will discuss the process for assembling an estimate including: developing material lists, applying labor unit data, material takeoff, and application of direct job costs, overhead, and profit. Note: Prerequisite - An understanding of electrical construction and the application of electrical material and completion of NECA's Introduction to the Manual of Labor Units online course (included with registration.)

Instructor:  Bob Mooty   

Date:  Monday - Thursday, June 8-11, 2015 (4-day course) 

Time:  8:30AM - 4:30PM (lunch provided)

Location:  NorCal NECA Chapter Office, 6300 Village Pkwy., Ste. 200, Dublin, CA 94568

Cost:  NECA Member Cost: $725.00, Non-Members: $1,025.00 (includes material & meals)   

Register:
  Space is limited. Contact Juanita Mitchell to confirm your attendance.   
 
a9 
NorCal NECA Event Registrations
 
TUE, April 7
 
MON-THU, April 13-16
 
WED, April 22
View Archives