This Week

EXCEPTIONAL EXPERTISE AT THE ANNUAL MANUFACTURER/SUPPLIER EXHIBIT

MULTIEMPLOYER PENSION PLAN REFORMS ADVANCE SLOWLY

PROCUREMENT REFORMS LINING UP

HELP US HELP YOU! REGISTER NOW FOR NATIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE

FOLLOW THE PATH TO HIGHER MARGINS WITH MSCA WEBINAR SERIES

MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW TO HIRE STUDENT INTERNS FOR LATER

MCA OF CHICAGO CONTRIBUTES TO MCERF

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MCAA National Update for February 10, 2014

EXCEPTIONAL EXPERTISE AT THE ANNUAL MANUFACTURER/SUPPLIER EXHIBIT WILL BOLSTER YOUR BOTTOM LINE

More than 100 manufacturers and suppliers will be on hand at our annual exhibit during MCAA 2014 (Scottsdale, AZ) to show you their latest products and services. What's "new" now and a glimpse of "what's coming" will be featured at each display along with company representatives who will answer all your questions about how the offerings can increase profits and grow your business. It's a once-a-year opportunity that you can't miss! Mark your calendar for March 11 from 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Find out more about all the events, business-oriented educational sessions and networking opportunities that make MCAA 2014 your best investment of the year at www.mcaa.org/mcaa2014.

If you are interested in learning and sharing knowledge about welding, brazing and welder qualifications--not to mention networking with friends, colleagues and new acquaintances--then don't miss the NCPWB Annual Technical Committee Meeting (Marco Island Beach Resort, FL, April 27-29). Heading up this year's presentations are an overview of the UA/NDT Qualifications & Certification program, ergonomic safety on the work site, controlling and reducing welding fume exposure, and chapter operations. Bob Wiswesser, Operation Chief Inspector and CEO of WTTO, Inc., will discuss the requirements of the ASME Section V on Non-Destructive Tests (NDT), $UA written practices for the qualification and certification of NDT personnel, current methods of NDT in the UA/NDT program and recent changes in ASME IX allowing Ultrasonic testing (UT) of welder qualification tests. Program details and online registration are at$ http://www.mcaa.org/education/ncpwb.

MULTIEMPLOYER PENSION PLAN REFORMS ADVANCE SLOWLY

Last week was a slow one for multiemployer pension plan reform. The MCAA and the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) coalition suffered a slight setback when the measure's lead proponent on the House Education and Workforce Committee, Representative Rob Andrews (D-NJ), retired unexpectedly. Nevertheless, the NCCMP coalition's Solutions Not Bailouts proposal continues to enjoy broad bipartisan support and a bill is expected to be introduced soon. In the Senate, the coalition is fully engaging Senate Health Education and Labor (HELP) Committee Chairman Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) who is retiring at the end of this Congress. The UA/MCAA joint leadership letter signed by UA General President Bill Hite and MCAA President Michael R. Cables is helping demonstrate labor/management agreement on this issue, which is essential to progress. MCAA continues to urge employer groups in Congressional districts to engage Representatives and Senators back home, impressing upon them the need for pension reform to help sponsoring businesses, their workforce and pensioners, and to lessen the fiscal risk of Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) ballooning deficits and eventual multiemployer pension plan insurance program default.

PROCUREMENT REFORMS LINING UP

Several bills are moving in the House Small Business, Oversight and Government Reform Committee that would provide a measure of procurement reform relief to contractors in the federal procurement process. One measure would ban Internet reverse auctions for prime contractor low-bid selection decisions (H.R. 2715), the Commonsense Construction Contracting Act, which prime contractor organizations are supporting and pressing. A design-build (DB) procurement reform measure would limit a DB short list to no more than five firms after the initial qualification Request for Proposal screening (H.R. 2750). That measure is also favored by prime contractor and architecture/engineering groups. MCAA is taking the lead in both committees, despite the opposition of the prime contractor groups, to add a parallel subcontractor selection reform measure, the Construction Quality Assurance Act (H.R. 1942). That measure would require prime contractors to name primary subcontractors relied on in the sealed bid submission and permit post-award substitutions only for good cause. MCAA also is seeking to have that sub bid listing protection added to low-price/technically acceptable negotiated procurement procedures.

HELP US HELP YOU! REGISTER NOW FOR NATIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE

The MCAA/Quality Construction Alliance National Issues Conference is scheduled for April 30 - May 2 in Washington, D.C. Pension reform will be the top issue at the conference, as the need to press that measure through this Congress by the end of the year is imperative. With a broad and effective labor/management coalition agreeing on fundamental rebalancing of risk in the industry's multiemployer pension system for the first time, the chance for fundamental reform of the industry's multiemployer pension system makes this an opportunity that MCAA members cannot miss. Register for this important conference so you can learn more about the issue, the legislative solutions and how you can help your industry win this important effort. Go to www.mcaa.org/education.

FOLLOW THE PATH TO HIGHER MARGINS WITH MSCA WEBINAR SERIES

The seven-part MSCA webinar series, The Path to Higher Margins Is Not Business as Usual, will reveal the secrets behind finding the path to higher margins while providing insight and inspiration to help members take their products and services company to the next level. Each presenter is a highly successful service contractor who will provide you with an abundance of road-tested tactics to future-proof your business. Join us for these upcoming webinars: Customers: Your Most Prized Possession on February 26 at 1:00 p.m. EST, led by Chris Carter of the Murphy Company (St. Louis, MO) and Employees: It's All About the People on April 9 at 1:00 p.m. EST, led by Dave Bavisotto of Illingworth-Kilgust Mechanical (Monona, WI) and Wayne Turchetta of HMC Service Company (Louisville, KY). The webinars are free for MSCA and MCAA members. To register and learn more, visit https://msca.webex.com. Webinars that have already aired can be downloaded from www.msca.org along with associated PowerPoint slides and handouts.

MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW TO HIRE STUDENT INTERNS FOR LATER

It may be snowing and blowing now, but soon warm weather will be here along with the need to bring aboard smart, well-educated and talented young people to temporarily augment your professional staff. Make your plans now to line up student interns for the summer. You can recruit who you need at MCAA 2014. More than 120 students from MCAA chapters across the country will be at the Annual Student Chapter Exhibit on March 11 (7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.) to talk with you about their career plans. And, while you're at it, plan to request a Student Internship Grant to help cover the intern's salary. Made possible with funding provided by the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF), the $1,200 grants help bring together employers and students who can each benefit from the experience. Go to www.mcaa.org/careers for more information about the grant and the online request form. Please contact Ann Mattheis (amattheis@mcaa.org) with questions.

It's a life-saving opportunity! Make sure your service technicians or other employees who work with or around electrical equipment sign up for the NFPA 70E Qualified-Level Arc Flash Safety Training webinar coming up on February 20 at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. MCAA/MSCA members' employees who are potentially exposed to live conductors of 50 volts of electricity or more during their workday and mechanical service technicians working on units that push 480 volts or less should attend. Presented by the Hilgeman Group, the session covers all OSHA and NFPA requirements, best practices and NFPA's recent changes to the 70E requirements and provides participants with real-world accident information that reinforces their training. Contact the Hilgeman Group at ahilgeman@frontier.com to register.

MCA OF CHICAGO CONTRIBUTES TO MCERF

The Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF) recently received a $10,000 contribution from the MCA of Chicago, raising its total giving to $375,000. The association's generous donation enables the Foundation to continue supporting education and research programs that help our industry advance and thrive. The MCERF Board of Trustees greatly appreciates the MCA of Chicago's donation. Find out more about MCERF and its programs by visiting www.mcerf.org or contact Dennis Langley (dlangley@mcaa.org).

The MCAA National Update is is a weekly publication of the
Mechanical Contractors Association of America
1385 Piccard Drive, Rockville, MD 20850.
Questions? Contact Ann Mattheis, Editor, Phone: 301-869-5800; Fax: 301-990-9690