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| MCAA National Update for October 27, 2014 |
CBS Sportcaster James Brown is Featured Speaker at Annual Awards of Excellence Breakfast
 James Brown, three-time Emmy Award winning sportscaster and host of The NFL Today and Thursday Night Football on CBS, will address attendees at the Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony during MCAA 2015 in Wailea, Maui, HI, March 8-12. A graduate of Harvard University where he excelled as a basketball player, Brown has been a mainstay of NFL programs for many years and was recognized for his work when he was named SI.com's Best Studio Host of the Decade in 2010. He has also co-hosted Fox NFL Sunday, Inside the NFL on Showtime, been a correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO and a nationally syndicated radio show on Sporting News. He has also contributed to CBS News and other network news programs, including 60 Minutes. Find out more about James Brown as well as our other excellent speakers and educational sessions at MCAA 2015 by scanning the Convention Planning Guide at http://www.mcaa.org/mcaa2015.
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Nominations Requested for MCAA Board of Directors
The call for nominations for MCAA's Board of Directors for 2015 was sent to affiliated association executives on October 21. Vacancies will be filled at the 2015 MCAA Convention in Maui. Board members will be chosen for their commitment to the industry, their capabilities, their willingness to serve the association and their involvement in local and national activities. All nominations should be mailed, faxed or emailed to Heather Kyler by January 9, 2015, at 1385 Piccard Drive, Rockville, MD 20850 or 301-990-9690 or [email protected].
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MCAA Issues Safety Bulletin on Changes to OSHA Regulation on Reporting Injuries and Illnesses
 MCAA has just issued a new Safety Bulletin concerning a recently published final rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) covering employer compliance with OSHA regulation 1904, Recording and Reporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. The changes primarily concern reporting requirements when specified work-related injuries occur. Details about the changes and their enforcement are outlined in the bulletin, which can be accessed at www.mcaa.org. For more information, please contact Pete Chaney at [email protected] or by calling 800-556-3653.
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Register Now for 2014 Industry Improvement Funds Conference
 An excellent program has been planned for the 2014 Industry Improvement Funds Conference (December 3-5, Longboat Key Club, Longboat Key, FL) featuring legal, investment and administration experts involved with the management of Funds. The program will open with an update by MCAA President Chuck Fell on the latest MCAA programs, issues developments and activities. Dick Sawhill of ARCA/MCA of Southern California will report on associations' Industry Funds requirements in collective bargaining agreements. Elizabeth Manzo with Lindabury, McCormick and Estabrook will cover recent legal challenges to Industry Funds and options for protecting associations' funding structure. She'll also lead an optional session focusing on association bylaws administration. Steve Lamb of MCA of Chicago will discuss challenges faced by industry about technology, labor and globalization. Other discussions will address investment strategies, insurance best practices, legislative developments and a report on the association's political action committee and new National Education Initiative offerings. This is an excellent conference packed full of valuable information, so be sure to register early. Go to http://www.mcaa.org/education/mcaa/industryfunds for the complete brochure and convenient online registration. Please contact Sean McGuire at [email protected] for more information.
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Pension Reform Lobbying Continues at a Strong Pace
MCAA and MCA Maryland-Delaware contractors, along with UA local and international representatives, are meeting with Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) this week to address the many beneficial government operations aspects of the Solutions Not Bailouts (SNB) multiemployer pension plan legislative proposal. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has been tagged as an endangered government agency, with the risk of insolvency in the multiemployer plan insurance fund looming in the next few years, even sooner if sudden economic downturns occur. SNB is recognized by PBGC and other government agencies as a strong measure that could help to stem PBGC's fiscal problems immediately. If it's enacted this year, plans can implement remedial measures as soon as next year. Any further delay in implementation will inevitably imperil even more plans and PBGC's future. MCAA is seeking to press that view on members of the Senate Government Operations and Senate Finance Committees in hopes of overcoming late recalcitrance among some lawmakers based on thin political rationalizations. MCAA and the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) coalition members will meet with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) in Oregon and with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) this week to press the need for immediate pension reform action and their help in turning around reluctant members.
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Letter-Writing Campaign is Helping Pension Reform Effort-Keep it Up!
 Keep sending those letters to your Congressional representatives through MCAA's Voter Voice system, www.mcaa/advocacy.org. NCCMP industry-wide coalition letter writing campaigns are moving forward in New England, California, Ohio, Illinois, New York and Washington. If you've sent a letter, then send another with the note: Follow-Up to Previous Correspondence. Reply and Action in Support Requested! Go to www.solutionsnotbailouts.com and email the Why We Can't Wait item to Congressional offices as well. If lawmakers question why're you're pressing for action so quickly, tell them the proposal has been pending and subject to comprehensive consideration by a consensus process involving a broad coalition of experts for over two years, and further delay will be ruinous for a great many plans, participants and beneficiaries - their constituents. Reach out to other employers and associations locally and to your UA partners and other Building Trades to join in this important advocacy effort. Assign your state lobbyist to the cause. Even if your Senator loses on November 4, he/she will remain in office until December with an incentive to support a great cause; if reelected, then persuade your Senator to do the right thing now and watch it bear fruit with stronger sustainable plans. For those up for re-election in 2016 and later, this is an opportunity to earn support from an important industry and a broad scope of labor and management constituents back home.
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Accelerate Performance of Entry-Level Service Sales Staff with MSCA's Sales Basecamp
 Sales Basecamp (an MSCA Sales Institute program) is the first step in training for your service sales personnel who are new to selling and/or new to the HVACR industry. This two-day program will be held January 12-13, 2015, in Tempe, AZ, and is designed to prepare the new hire with the skills necessary to confidently sell HVACR services while creating added value for the customer. Topics include understanding the MSCA Sales Cycle, building trust with potential customers, effectively linking features with needs, and handling objections professionally during the proposal presentation. Registration is now open, but space is limited. Visit http://www.msca.org/salesinstitute/basecamp to sign-up today or learn more information about this and other MSCA Sales Institute programs. Contact Barbara Dolim ([email protected]) with any questions about Sales Basecamp.
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Make an Old Building New Again? Learn How from Next Green Building Webinar
 MCAA's next Green Building Webinar (October 30, 1:00 p.m. Eastern time) will focus on the renovation of an historic building to meet high performance standards. The renovation involved the installation of ground source heat pumps, radiant slabs, a DOAS system, and an evaporative cooling server room. Because the building has historic significance, the project had to balance the SIERR improvements with the historical renovation. Matt Gregg of McKinstry Company (Seattle, WA) will lead this interesting and informative webinar. This webinar is free to MCAA/MSCA members as a benefit of membership. To register, go to https://mcaa.webex.com/mw0401l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=mcaa. Please contact Sean McGuire at [email protected] for more information. |
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