This Week

Search for Ocean Treasures with Dr. Robert Ballard at MCAA 2015

MCAA Releases Expanded Inventory of Construction Industry Pension Plans

Registration Opens for MCAA's 12th Annual Safety Directors Conference

MSCA Sales Institute is Now Accepting Applications

MCAA Calls for Committee Member Appointment Recommendations

Learn How to Do Business Better and Smarter with MSCA's Next Webinar

AIPM is Sold Out!

MCAA President Fell Addresses 7th Annual United Association Tripartite Conference

There's Still Time to Register for NFPA Arc Flash Safety Training Webinar

Pension Reform Update

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MCAA National Update for October 20, 2014

Search for Ocean Treasures with Dr. Robert Ballard at MCAA 2015

He has searched the world over ... and beneath its oceans ... for historical as well as natural treasures. Oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard, best known for finding the ill-fated cruise liner Titanic in the North Atlantic in 1985, is our featured speaker for the Closing Session of MCAA 2015 (March 8-12, Wailea, Maui, HI). Dr. Ballard's historical discoveries also include the sunken German battleship Bismarck, the lost fleet of Guadalcanal, the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Yorktown and John F. Kennedy's PT 109. He's also found the remains of ancient ships in the Mediterranean Sea, including the oldest shipwrecks ever found in deep water. Although Dr. Ballard's historical finds are significant, he believes his most profound discoveries are hydrothermal vents and "black smokers" in the Galapagos Rift and East Pacific Rise which are homes to rare and exotic life forms that live off of energy emissions through a process called chemosynthesis. And, you'll experience the excitement and wonder of Dr. Ballard's deep-sea explorations through a video presentation of his adventures. Don't miss this or the other amazing events that will make MCAA 2015 our most memorable convention ever. Check out the Convention Planning Guide and then register online at http://www.mcaa.org/mcaa2015. Great rooms at three beautiful hotels are still available, but going fast, so don't delay registering.

MCAA Releases Expanded Inventory of Construction Industry Pension Plans

Download Your Copy of the New Pension Inventory

An expanded 2014 edition of the MCAA/Horizon Actuarial Services Inventory of Construction Industry Pension Plans is now available as a free download at www.mcaa.org. According to the report, Form 5500 data show that long-term trends remain challenging for multiemployer defined benefit plans, documenting the urgent need for Congressional action to enact reforms - such as the Solutions Not Bailouts legislative reform proposal backed by MCAA and the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans' (NCCMP) legislative coalition. MCAA's commentary and analysis (independent of Horizon Actuarial Services' non-partisan objective analysis) highlights the urgent need for Congressional action by recognizing seven critical trends pointing to the need for expeditious reforms: 1) adverse plan demographics continue; 2) negative cash flow persists; 3) investment returns improve, but remain very volatile; 4) median plan funding levels are on the mend, but there is much ground to recover; 5) costs of paying for unfunded past benefits liability continue to mount; 6) employer contributions are rising inexorably; and 7) plan expenses and fees remain stable. Questions about the report should be addressed to John McNerney at jmcnerney@mcaa.org.

Registration Opens for MCAA's 12th Annual Safety Directors Conference

MCAA's Safety Directors' Conference Is Open for Registration

The wait is over! Registration has just opened for MCAA's 12th Annual Safety Directors Conference. This valuable conference - co-sponsored by CNA - is designed for those responsible for protecting employee health and safety for the mechanical construction and service industry. The conference, which takes place January 27-29, 2015, in San Antonio, TX, will feature author Dr. Kevin Elko on How to Achieve Greatness at Work and in Life and sessions on the Physical Effects of Fall Arrest and Effective Rescue Planning, Changes to NFPA 70E, Health and Wellness for Mechanical Construction Workers, RF Radiation Exposures and Prevention, and much more. Conference details and online registration are available at http://www.mcaa.org/education/mcaa/safety. Please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org with questions.

MSCA Sales Institute is Now Accepting Applications

The MSCA Sales Institute launched at the MSCA 2014 Educational Conference in Huntington Beach, CA, on September 28 with the Sales Leadership Symposium. Other service sales programs in the MSCA Sales Institute are Sales Basecamp (for entry-level employees), Sales Masters I (for intermediate-level staff), and Sales Masters II (for advanced personnel). Sales Basecamp, which will be held January 12-13, 2015, is now open for registration. Visit http://www.msca.org/salesinstitute/basecamp to sign up. Applications are also being accepted for Sales Masters I and II courses, so please complete and e-mail the form you received at the Sales Leadership Symposium to Barbara Dolim at bdolim@mcaa.org. (Note: Attendance of the highly-acclaimed symposium is required by service sales leaders for members of their team to be eligible to attend Sales Masters I and II.) Space is limited for all classes, so be sure to register today.

MCAA Calls for Committee Member Appointment Recommendations

MCAA's 2015 national committee appointment recommendation forms were sent to affiliated association executives on October 14. We would like to identify members who are interested in serving MCAA by working on a national committee. All recommendations should be faxed to Beth Miller by December 1 at 301-576-7117 or emailed to bmiller@mcaa.org.

Learn How to Do Business Better and Smarter with MSCA's Next Webinar

MSCA's Path to Higher Margins is Not Business as Usual webinar series continues with a discussion on ideas and methods for improving the efficiency of your business operations. On October 22 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, Mike Star of Lane Associates (Island Park, NY) and Devon Hubbard of FitzGerald Contractors (Shreveport, LA) will explain how to use existing or low-cost technology to answer customers' demands for faster, more detailed information. Additionally, you will learn how to make the best financial decisions about whether to maintain or replace vehicles in-house or via a third party, and strategies for streamlining office and overhead management. This webinar is free to MSCA and MCAA members as a benefit, so don't miss this informative webinar. Visit https://msca.webex.com to register.

AIPM is Sold Out!

The next Advanced Institute for Project Management (AIPM), scheduled for January 18-23, 2015 at the University of Texas, Austin, TX, is completely filled. If you would like to have your name or an employee's name added to a waiting list, please contact Beth Miller at bmiller@mcaa.org or call her at 800-556-3653.

MCAA President Fell Addresses 7th Annual United Association Tripartite Conference

UA General President Bill Hite led off the UA's Tripartite Conference of 400 attendees last week, which celebrated the UA's 125th Anniversary, with a broad scope positive assessment of the UA's recent achievements and the positive workforce and market challenges that lie ahead for market sectors from energy projects in the Gulf Coast to pipelines in the Midwest. He also acknowledged that contractors and owners have choices with respect to labor policy, and he stressed the UA's emphasis on constructive tripartite relations with local unions, contractors and project owners as essential to establishing a thriving and prosperous union signatory market sector well into the future. MCAA President Chuck Fell commended Mr. Hite for his substantial leadership achievements, emphasizing the strength and creativity of the UA/MCAA Strategic Planning effort, pledging that the UA has MCAA's commitment as strong partners "to build an ever-brighter future for all our members." He concluded, "I am here to tell you that when you [project owners] hire the team in this room - MCAA contractors and our extremely capable, highly skilled, best-in-the-industry UA workforce, you are getting the team that is best qualified to do the job and deliver to you a quality project at the best value." The program then proceeded with an owner panel discussion in which panelists addressed owner choices and considerations in adopting labor policy choices for their construction projects. The general consensus was that owner choices about best value considerations of safety, productivity, quality, and work rule efficiency are balanced in an assessment that is not primarily centered on weighing just wage and fringe payment differentials with open shop providers. In addition, public sector owners too frequently add social policy and other workforce diversity elements as factors in labor policy and contracting procurement considerations. The program continued with panels on energy policy, gas and pipeline distribution and Gulf Coast energy, all characterized by similar discussions about opportunities and market challenges in those market sectors. On the Gulf Coast Initiative panel, MCA of Houston EVP Glenn Rex described the innovative Construction Career Collaborative (C3) aimed at reinvigorating construction workforce development and standards for life-long careers in the industry. International relations and market issues were addressed with a program on UA market developments in Canada; remarks by Earl Setches, President of the Plumbing Trades Employees Union in Australia; and Eamon Devoy, General Secretary of the Technical Electrical and Engineering Union of Ireland. The program concluded with a UA/MCAA panel discussion on current legislative and public policy issues with Russ Breckenridge, the UA's Senior Legislative and Political representative, and MCAA's General Counsel John McNerney.

There's Still Time to Register for NFPA Arc Flash Safety Training Webinar

The next NFPA 70E Qualified-Level Arc Flash Safety Training Webinars are scheduled for October 22, 2014, at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. If your employees are potentially exposed to live conductors of 50 volts of electricity or more during their workday, especially mechanical service technicians who work on units that generate up to 480 volts, they should register for this webinar. The webinar provides critically important training that could, in fact, save a life. 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.

Pension Reform Update

MCA of Utah Executive Vice President Bob Bergman and Board members Jason Bleak (Industrial Piping and Welding) and Patrick Lynch (CCI Mechanical), along with NCCMP's Randy DeFrehn and MCAA's John McNerney, met with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch last Friday to press for expeditious adoption of multiemployer pension plan reform in Congress this year. Senator Hatch is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which may have a key role on passage of the bill in the lame duck session of Congress this year. Similarly, PMCA of Oregon Executive Director Frank Wall and others helped organize a number of Oregon construction groups - including NECA and SMACNA affiliates - in sending a statewide construction industry letter to Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, pressing for the same goal before Congress adjourns in December. Construction industry statewide action with Senators back home during the election recess will be crucial in gaining a favorable outcome on pension reform this year. Please go to www.mcaa.org/advocacy to email a letter to your Senator and Representatives on the urgent need for pension reform this year. In addition, please consider putting together an industry coalition to meet with your Senator this month or organizing a statewide industry letter campaign in conjunction with other groups that support the Solutions Not Bailouts reforms. Grassroots industry-wide action between now and the November election could pay big dividends when Congress returns to DC after the elections. The next several weeks represent the best chance with vigorous in-state advocacy for significant pension reforms in a long time, but inaction likely will foreclose that opportunity for the next two years, at least. Please take some time to act now. For assistance, contact John McNerney at jmcnerney@mcaa.org.

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