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Monday, September 5, 2016
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This Week
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MON
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5th
| All Day
| Labor Day: All Agreements
Chapter Office Closed
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TUE
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6th
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WED
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7th
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| WED - THU
| 7th - 8th
| All Day
| Labor Law & Labor Arbitration Conference, San Francisco
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| THU
| 8th
| 9:00 AM
| Solano EDC Board of Directors Meeting, Fairfield
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| FRI
| 9th
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| SAT
| 10th
| 10:00 AM
| Local 684 Picnic, Turlock Sportsman's Club, Crows Landing
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| 11:00 AM
| Local 180 Picnic, Allen Witt Park, Fairfield
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A Note from the Executive Director
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As Summer winds down, I'd like to take the time to update you on our Chapter activities over the past few months, as well as inform you about upcoming events.
I hope this busy time in the construction industry has still left some time to spend with your families. Speaking of busy, the greater Bay Area is currently the epicenter of the largest construction boom in the world. Hopefully you are position to take advantage of the situation. However, with the boom comes a tight labor market. Many of you have experienced the hardship of a depleted work force and many unfilled calls. NECA has been working closely with our IBEW partners to increase apprenticeships, bring in travelers, organize new members and come up with solutions (some creative) to "man the work." We all know this is a critical time to capture the work or risk losing it to the non-union competition. Many of our contractors recently participated in a Job Fair held at the ZNE Center. Nearly 200 candidates showed up to be interviewed! This followed similar Job Fairs in the Central Valley and Solano County.
We continue to work on supporting key legislation. Several school construction bond measures were passed in June, and we look forward to offering support for both school and transportation bond measures slated for the November ballot. The largest is a $9 billion statewide school bond, The California Public School Facility Bonds initiative, also known as Proposition 51. If passed, this would allow for much needed construction and repair of K-12 schools and community colleges.
We have also been dealing with certain labor relation issues that often arise during peak times in construction. It has certainly kept us busy and I am happy to report that we have come to satisfactory resolution of every dispute.
Our Labor/Management Committee in Solano/Napa and Alameda Counties are beginning work to implement lift and safety training/certifications for electricians as a result of those directives being added to the respective CBAs. Along those lines, negotiations are ramping up in Local Union 595E.
These are just a few of the items that have kept us busy over the summer months. Final preparations are underway for our annual Fall General Membership meeting on September 13th. We are pleased to welcome as a special guest speaker Marco Giamberardino, National NECA's Director of Government Affairs who will shed light on what NECA is doing for our contractors back in Washington, D.C., as well as update us on the interesting politics throughout our Nation. The National NECA Convention in Boston in October promises to be jam-packed with useful information and tools to assist NECA contractors.
Finally, thank you to all of our members. We appreciate the confidence you have placed in us and we look forward to continuing to provide you with excellent service in the future. We are a member-led organization that succeeds with leaders like you.
Greg E. Armstrong
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NECA Contractor Call to Action: Act Now on AB-626
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We are proud to announce that AB-626, our NECA sponsored "Change Order Reform" bill, has made it through the legislative process without a single "NO" vote. It now awaits action by Governor Brown. The bill puts forth a fair and responsible process that requires agencies to respond to a contractor's claim for "extra work" in a timely manner, pay the undisputed portions of claims, and provides a path for expedited settlement of disputed claims. Some local agencies, such as cities and airports, have stepped up their opposition to the measure and we need letters of support from our contractors.
Please copy and paste the attached letter onto your letterhead, and fax your letter to the Governor today at (926) 442-6437! He will be taking action on the measure very soon and we must get these letters to him immediately. Please also email or fax your letter to Darlene Besst. The Politico Group is also requesting your letter be faxed to them at (926) 442-6437
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DIR, Labor Commissioner Launch Online System for Reporting Labor Law Violations
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The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has launched an online system for reporting labor law violations. This new reporting system is simple to use and enables the Labor Commissioner's Office to receive real time leads on businesses that are breaking labor laws. Click here for the latest DIR News Release.
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Politico Online - Connecting You to California
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 Politico Group and the Electrical Contractors of California Trust have re-launched the www.PoliticoOnline.com website for use by California NECA contractors. The revamped wesite provides useful "quick links" on the home page, downloads to the Politico Alerts in the "Resources" section and access to all state websites on the "Links" page. The "Contact Us" page is a simple way to get answers to your questions, request forms or applications, and to let us know what you think about issues in California.
www.PoliticoOnline.com is provided to California NECA contractors through the Electrical Contractors of California Trust and is designed to connect you to California.
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Seeking Sponsors for 5th Annual IBEW/NECA Calendar
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Plans are underway for the IBEW 595 / NorCal NECA Joint Safety Committee's annual Safety Calendar! Artwork has been submitted by IBEW 595 family members who participate in our Safety Poster Contest. Once complete, the calendar will be distributed to NorCal NECA member contractors, IBEW members, general contractors, building officials, local politicians, school board members, and various other business groups and individuals associated with NECA and the IBEW. We are currently seeking sponsors for our 5th edition to help defray the costs associated with printing and distribution. Sponsorships are available for $500 for each month sponsored and will include your company logo and contact information. Sponsorships are available on a first come basis and we're hoping to have them finalized by September 16, 2016. If you are interested in this terrific opportunity, please contact Juanita Mitchell at the Chapter office.
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Five Independent Contractor Myths That Can Land You in Hot Water
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Alternative work arrangements, including the use of independent contractors, now represent more than 15 percent of the labor market, according to statistics released in early 2016, and these arrangements account for much of net employment growth since 2005. Click here for an informative article published by CalChamber.
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Fall General Member Meeting
Next Week, Tuesday, September 13th
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The end of summer is quickly approaching, which means it's time for the Northern California Chapter's Annual Fall General Member Meeting on Tuesday, September 13th. We will be returning to the Palm Event Center in Pleasanton, 1184 Vineyard Ave. The evening's reception will begin at 6PM with hosted hors d'oeuvres and beverages. Along with networking and our popular raffle prize drawing, we will also recognize our Chapter contractors and their team members with Project Excellence Awards. The NECA/IBEW Joint Safety Committee will present the Marv Jensen Safety Award designed to recognize excellence in safety demonstrated by NECA contractors and IBEW electricians. We are pleased that Marco Giamberardino, NECA National's Executive Director of Government Affairs, will join us to shed light on what he and his staff do daily to promote the union electrical industry. Marco attended the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and will shed light on what has been a very interesting political climate. We hope to see many of you there. Please RSVP your attendance today using the attached form. If you have any questions, please contact Juanita Mitchell at the Chapter office. |
AGC Technology Forum at ZNE Center, San Landro September 14, 2016
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AGC is conducting a technology forum at our ZNE Center on September 14, 2016, from 1:00 PM until 6:30 PM. the featured guest speaker is James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge, Inc. This fast-paced show and tell session will share contractor's best practices regarding their experiences with technology adoption and use cases. Learn how real companies are researching and implementing the latest technologies and how they are impacting their construction projects. Representatives from industry solutions providers will showcase exciting advances in technology for the construction industry. Meet and mingle with your peers and representatives from some of the industry's leading and emerging technology companies afterwards at a hosted networking mixer. NECA contractors are encouraged to participate in this unique educational and social event. Click here for details and registration information.
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IBEW Local Union 595 Annual Golf Tournament
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IBEW Local Union 595 will hold its 4th Annual Golf Tournament on Friday, September 30th. See attached flyer for details.
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Upcoming Events & Educational Opportunities
Register Now For NECA's 2016 Workshops and Events
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