This Week

Registered Yet for MCAA's 2014 Collective Bargaining Seminar?

MCAA Mourns Passing of 1984 President Herbert R. Jacobson

There's More than One Way to Certify a Green Building

Learn Strategies to Secure Your Business at MSCA 2014

Registration is Still Open for this Life-Saving Webinar!

Give Your Dispatchers the Tools to Excel with Dispatcher Development Training

Your Management Innovation Deserves Recognition

Learn How to Use Labor Effectively During MSCA's Next Path to Higher Margins Webinar

Quick Links

Like This Newsletter?

MCAA National Update for August 11, 2014

Registered Yet for MCAA's 2014 Collective Bargaining Seminar?

Leading the faculty for MCAA's Collective Bargaining Seminar (September 8 - 10, Washington, DC) is Michael Boldt of the Ice Miller law firm (Indianapolis, IN) who will cover legal issues relating to the collective bargaining process and administration of the employer bargaining unit. Tami Earnhart, also of Ice Miller, will discuss Title VII job discrimination issues, including the use of credit checks and criminal background records in bargaining agreement/hiring hall contexts and general employment administration. She will also cover the new Department of Labor affirmative action rules for federal prime contractors and subcontractors to employ targeted percentages of veterans and disabled individuals. Ms. Earnhart also will address how federal project prime contractors and subcontractors should begin preparing to comply with the Administration's new Executive Order requiring disclosure of legal violations in the contract responsibility determination process beginning in 2016. Jim Estabrook and Elizabeth Manzo of Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook & Cooper, P.C. (Westfield, NJ) will discuss pension and health benefits issues and address current topics in bargaining - what's the "Cadillac Tax" on health plans and what can you do about it; and, how to anticipate pension reform in negotiations. Richard Barnes will cover ways of transforming labor/management relations into a collaborative approach to market issues. Carey Peters, director of the Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC), will describe the wide range of data and research support CLRC provides for management bargaining teams. Representatives of the Industrial Relations Council (IRC) will be on hand to describe its services, procedures and rules for contract settlement and grievance arbitrations. The National Labor Relations Board's general counsel will participate in a roundtable discussion of current issues with UA counsel Jim O'Connell and MCAA counsel Mike Boldt. Also, an EEOC representative has confirmed attendance, and participation by Labor Department representatives is expected as well. Representatives from the Helmets-to-Hardhats military recruiting program also will be on hand to discuss H2H's service to help signatory firms achieve their veteran employment affirmative action goals. There's still time to register, go to http://www.mcaa.org/education/mcaa/collectivebargaining to register online.

MCAA Mourns Passing of 1984 President Herbert R. Jacobson

Herbert Roy Jacobson, past MCAA President and former executive of the A.D. Jacobson Company (Kansas City, MO), passed away on August 1, in Rancho Mirage, CA, where he retired. Jacobson joined MCAA's Board of Directors in the mid 1970's and was elected to the Executive Committee in 1980, rising to president in 1984. He was an active member of the MCA of Kansas City, serving as chairman of its Labor Negotiating Committee for 12 years and then as its president. Jacobson was also active in Kansas City charities, serving as president of Beth Shalom Synagogue and as president of Jewish Vocational Services. He was also a partner in the original group that brought the Kings Basketball team to Kansas City. The funeral service took place on August 5. The family has requested that contributions be made to the charity of your choice in his memory. Condolences may be shared at www.louismemorialchapel.com/obituaries/Herbert-Jacobson.

There's More than One Way to Certify a Green Building

For almost a decade, LEED has been the industry standard for green building rating systems, but it's not the only system available to measure and test a building's sustainability. If you're looking for options to certify your next sustainable building, then plan to register for MCAA's next Green Building Webinar. On August 28, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, Courtney France of France Sustainable Solutions will take you through the various programs in sustainable building metrics and explain the rating systems and certifications offered by each system. This webinar is free to MCAA and MSCA members as a benefit. Register at https://mcaa.webex.com.

Learn Strategies to Secure Your Business at MSCA 2014

If you think you've heard it all and know it all about protecting your business information from breaches, think again. Don't miss security expert Robert Siciliano's presentation on Information Security and Awareness at the MSCA 2014 Educational Conference (Huntington Beach, CA) on September 30. In his "tell it like it is" style, Siciliano will teach you the fundamentals necessary to protect your data as well as the data entrusted to you by your customers. As a follow-up to this session, he will present Personal Security and Success on October 1, about the unique situations that families face in the physical and virtual worlds. He will also teach you how to determine the best options for protecting your loved ones from crime. A renowned speaker and author with nearly 30 years of experience, Siciliano is frequently sought by companies, the media and the public for his expertise on information and personal security. These are just two of the valuable informational sessions offered at MSCA 2014. Make sure you don't miss any of them by registering today at http://www.mcaa.org/education/msca/annualconference.

Registration is Still Open for this Life-Saving Webinar!
Ever Tried a Webinar?

If any of your employees who work with and/or around electricity have not participated inthe NFPA 70E Qualified-Level Arc Flash Safety Training Webinar, make sure they register for one of the next webinars on August 19 at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. The webinar is focused on protecting service technicians or other employees who are potentially exposed to live conductors of 50 volts of electricity or more during their workday, and especially mechanical service technicians who work on units that generate 480 volts or less. They will learn safe work practices that will prevent accidents, injuries and worse. Presented by the Hilgeman Group, the session covers all applicable OSHA and NFPA requirements, best practices, NFPA's most recent changes to the 70E requirements and provides participants with real-world accident information to reinforce the training. Contact the Hilgeman Group (ahilgeman@frontier.com) to register.

Give Your Dispatchers the Tools to Excel with Dispatcher Development Training

MSCA's two-day Dispatcher Professional Development Training Program will be held October 27-28 at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport Marriott (Baltimore, MD). For MCAA and MSCA members only, this program is custom-designed to help new and experienced service dispatchers in the HVACR industry understand their vital role in the company, advance their careers and significantly enhance their ability to contribute to their company's success. This is the last dispatcher training for the year and the class size is limited, so register today at http://www.mcaa.org/education/msca/dispatcher. Contact Sobeida Orantes (saorantes@mcaa.org) with registration questions.

Your Management Innovation Deserves Recognition

If your company's success resulted from a novel management practice, technique or method that overcame a challenge, consider nominating that innovation for the 2014 E. Robert Kent Award for Management Innovation. This distinguished award provides an opportunity for members to showcase their management ideas, receive well-deserved acclaim and publicity and pass on to other industry businesses a way to solve formidable management issues. Named for an industry leader who believed strongly that the best ideas should be shared, the E. Robert Kent Award brings to light proven ideas that can help companies throughout our industry overcome growth-hindering business obstacles. Nominations are now open for the 2014 E. Robert Kent Award; consider nominating the idea that helped your company succeed. Go to http://www.mcaa.org/awards/erobertkent for information and the downloadable form.

Learn How to Use Labor Effectively During MSCA's Next Path to Higher Margins Webinar

MSCA's next Path to Higher Margins is Not Business as Usual Webinar (September 10, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight time) will help you make the most of your labor force. You will learn about the National Service and Maintenance Agreement as a tool to strategize and grow your labor force and how to implement a blended work force to maximize your labor resources to more effectively compete. Understanding how your service technicians can be your best salespeople will also be explored. Leading this webinar are Kip Bagley of EMCOR Services/Mesa Energy (Irvine, CA) and Jim Leslie of Tucker Mechanical (Meriden, CT). This webinar is free to MCAA/MSCA members as a benefit. Register at https://msca.webex.com.

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