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| MCAA National Update for February 16, 2015 |
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MCAA Testifies Before Congress on Federal Contracting Reforms
 MCAA testified on February 12 before the House Small Business Committee on proposed federal contracting reforms. MCAA General Counsel John McNerney expressed MCAA support for various recommendations, including banning internet reverse auctions for prime contractor selections under both low-bid and low-price/technically-acceptable award procedures. Mr. McNerney emphasized that federal market competition and successful project completion are improved by more careful prime and subcontractor evaluation and fair selection procedures.
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Looking for Young Professional Talent? MCAAGreatFutures.org is a Great Resource!
 Your best, easiest and most cost-efficient resource for finding well-educated college students to fill full-time professional positions or internships is MCAAGreatFutures.org. So far, 115 students have posted their resumes, profiles and photos on the website as a first step in building their great future. If you hire an intern, be sure to apply for a $1,500 Student Internship Grant, a benefit made possible by the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). Go to www.mcerf.org/internships for information and a quick, easy online grant application form. The check will be mailed within a few days of when we receive the application (As of February 13, $67,500 in grants had already been distributed to MCAA member firms!). The program will be a prominent feature of MCAA 2015 with banners, signs, and a computer set up in the MCAA Resource & Hospitality Center where members can look for students to hire on MCAAGreatFutures.org; students attending the convention are highlighted with a green banner on their website photo (over 25 are carrying those banners). The students' contact information will be readily available so members can contact them for a quick interview. Members will also be able to apply for a Student Internship Grant for immediate processing on-site at the convention. MCAAGreatFutures.org also features news for and about MCAA student chapters and quick-read articles and videos highlighting the interesting work, great companies and ultra-high-tech equipment that comprise our industry. Please contact Ann Mattheis at [email protected] for more information. |
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MCAA Conducting Nationwide BIM Survey of Membership
Last week, MCAA conducted an e-mail survey of more than 1800 mechanical construction members and their key BIM personnel. The survey was developed by MCAA's BIM Committee, and its introduction states: MCAA is keenly interested in providing the latest and most relevant information to its members who use or plan to use BIM concepts in their business. But, BIM information, specifically relevant to the mechanical contracting industry is alarmingly scarce, especially considering the major role MCAA members are expected to play in establishing and leading project-wide BIM efforts. To address this issue, MCAA is asking its mechanical construction members and their key BIM personnel to respond to this mechanical-specific BIM survey. If you would like to take part in this critically important survey (which takes just a few minutes to complete and submit), click here. The information provided will be kept strictly confidential and the data will be presented to MCAA in aggregate form only. For more information, contact Dennis Langley at [email protected]. |
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Multiemployer Pension Reform Phase 2, Alternate Plan Designs is Front and Center Again
 MCAA and the Hogan Lovells firm continue to work together and with former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman and the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) coalition to kick-start multiemployer pension reform Phase 2 this year. Federal agencies tasked with implementing the benefits suspension procedures in the 2014 Miller/Kline Multiemployer Pension Reform Act are beginning to draft the rules under which "critical and declining" plans can propose plan amendments to implement benefits suspensions only so far as to avert plan insolvency and put the plan back on a sustainable basis. The coalition hopes that speedy regulatory implementation, combined with a sound reform proposal by a number of large plans otherwise destined for insolvency, will decrease the forecast of probable losses at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The coalition is beginning to press Phase 2 now. MCAA is setting up home district meetings with members and key lawmakers to start the momentum for Phase 2 early. MCAA is also conducting education programs on the 2014 law with Horizon Actuarial Services and the O'Donoghue law firm, highlighting the beneficial features of the 2014 law and setting the stage for lobbying on the Phase 2 alternate plan designs this year. |
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Energy Efficiency Measure Advances
On Friday, February 13, the House passed the America's Small Business Tax Relief Act (H.R. 636) to permanently extend the elevated tax expensing limits for investments in computer software, property and equipment (including air conditioning and heating equipment) that expired at the end of last year. MCAA, MSCA and PCA joined in the coalition supporting the measure which, through tax advantages, would help to alleviate the pent-up demand for hvac equipment replacements. The measure now moves to the Senate. |
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Hazard Communication Standard Compliance Deadline is Coming Up
The second to the last OSHA Hazard Communication Standard compliance deadline affecting mechanical industry employers is June 1, 2015. All employers must be in full compliance with OSHA's final rule on Hazard Communication, including the new Globally Harmonized System (GHS) communication requirements, and have all of the following in place prior to June 1: an up-to-date, written hazard communication program; an up-to-date chemical information list (as part of the written program); a current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each chemical substance on the chemical information list; all chemical containers properly labeled in accordance with the new GHS labeling requirements; and all employees trained on hazard communication, including the new chemical container labeling elements and format changes for all SDSs. Please note - If you buy your chemical supplies from a distributor, you may still receive chemical products that are labeled under the previous system until December 1, 2015. If you identify new hazards after December 1, 2015, due to reclassification of hazardous chemicals, you have until June 1, 2016, to ensure that those hazards are included in your hazard communication program, your workplace labeling reflects those new hazards, and your employees are trained on the new hazards. For more information, contact Pete Chaney at [email protected] or 800-556-3653. If you would like information about a highly recommended safety data sheet, chemical labeling, and/or hazard communication program service, please ask about SDS BinderWorks or visit www.sdsbinderworks.com. |
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Register Now for NCPWB's 2015 Technical Committee Meeting
 Plan to attend the NCPWB's 2015 Technical Committee Meeting to learn the latest information about welding, brazing and welder qualification as well as networking with friends, colleagues and new acquaintances. The meeting will take place at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ, April 19-21. The line-up of featured speakers will include NCPWB consultant Walter Sperko, who will discuss the historical background of API 1104, how it applies, who specifies it and what it covers. He will also compare the requirement of API 1104 with Section IX for both procedure and performance qualification. To register and for more information, go to www.mcaa.org/education/ncpwb. Please contact Nick Nikpourfard at [email protected] with questions. |
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Celebrate Safety Week 2015 (May 4-8)
 MCAA has joined more than 40 construction companies and trade associations to inspire our industry to be leaders in safety. The group established an annual Safety Week to heighten safety awareness throughout the industry. Its purpose is to thank workers for working safely, increase their awareness of applicable safety topics and hazards, inspire them to work safely, educate them about safe work practices and celebrate their good health and well-being. Each day during Safety Week, an occupational safety topic will be emphasized. Participants can highlight the topics within their companies any way they choose. The topics for 2015 are: May 4 - Fall Protection; May 5 - Soft Tissue Incidents; May 6 - Health and Wellness; May 7 - Hand Protection or Head and Eye Protection; and May 8 - Celebrate and Recognize Positive Safety Accomplishments. MCAA encourages all members to participate in Safety Week 2015. To learn more about safety week visit www.safetyweek2015.com. |
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Cultivate Your Dispatchers with MSCA Training
 Join MSCA in Cleveland, OH (March 26-27) for the Dispatcher Professional Development Training Program. This training will help new and experienced dispatchers understand their true role in the company and further develop their ability to contribute to your company's success as they advance their careers. Register for this program at www.mcaa.org/education/msca/dispatcher. Contact Sobeida Orantes ([email protected]) with any registration questions. |
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Register Now for 2015 MCAA/QCA National Issues Conference
 The year, pension reform will lead the agenda at the Quality Construction Alliance National Issues Conference, scheduled for April 27-29 at the W Hotel and Newseum in Washington, DC. Please consider attending this year, as the Phase 2 pension reform holds great promise for improving the industry's workforce and market conditions. Lawmakers need to hear directly from their constituents about the importance of multiemployer pension reform to their future. The agenda will also include procurement reform and small business issues. Go to www.mcaa.org/education/mcaa/legislative for more program details and to register. |
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Enhance Leadership Skills with MSCA's Highest Rated Speaker
 Leadership skills must be cultivated to be effective. To support contractors in their development, MSCA launched a new webinar series on team-building called "The Team Thing." Acclaimed MSCA presenter Steve Thomas will host this six-part series to discuss what a "team" truly is (and isn't), and how to embody the team spirit as a collaborator and a leader. The second webinar will be held on April 1 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Registration is now open at https://msca.webex.com. Tentative dates for the remaining webinars are June 3, September 2, November 4, and December 6. This series is free to all MCAA/MSCA members as a benefit. For more information, contact Barbara Dolim ([email protected]). |
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Your Company Safety Record Deserves Recognition
Send MCAA your company's 2014 safety data and we'll send you a safety benchmarking report. Also, if your company qualifies, we'll send you an MCAA Safety Certificate of Commendation. If your company achieved a Lost Workday Cases Incidence Rate of zero or one that is 25% or more below the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average for mechanical construction in 2014, MCAA will send you the Certificate of Commendation that is suitable for framing. Regardless of your 2014 safety record, MCAA will send you a benchmarking report that allows you to confidentially compare your company's incidence rates with the aggregates of others in your size category and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for the mechanical industry. To make the request, please visit www.mcaa.org/safetycommendation and complete a short, simple form using your company's 2014 OSHA 300A form as a guide. The completed forms are due to MCAA by the close of business on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. The certificates will be delivered in April 2015. |
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Registration for MSCA's Service Supervisors Training Is Open
Growing and Developing Service Supervisors, one of MSCA's most popular classes, is now open for registration at www.mcaa.org/education/msca/superservice. This two-day course will be held April 23-25 at Milwaukee Tool headquarters in Brookfield, WI. Specifically developed for field service supervisors, this training will help them understand how to coach, mentor, manage and motivate their technicians. Each attendee will receive a useful, comprehensive manual containing more than 100 forms and worksheets covering all aspects of a supervisor's responsibilities such as safety, operations, training, tools, and vehicles. Contact Sobeida Orantes ([email protected]) with registration questions for this event. |
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CPMCA Contributes to MCERF
 The Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF) recently received a $7,500 contribution from the California Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association (CPMCA), raising its total to $247,500. The MCERF Board of Trustees greatly appreciates the contribution which enables the Foundation to continue its education and research programs that help our industry advance. Find out more about MCERF and its programs by visiting www.mcerf.org or contact Dennis Langley at [email protected]. |
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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
Copyright � 2015 MCAA
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