Annual Legislative Conference Held Last Week

NorCal NECA was well represented at the annual Legislative Conference held last week in Washington, D.C. Contractors Steve and Charlotte Hanson (SD Electric, Inc.), Kurt and Nadia Brinkman (Intrepid Electronic Systems, Inc.), Greg Long (Long Electric Company), Collin Weiner (CalEnergy Electrical Corporation), and John Dillon (Hamilton & Dillon Electric), along with Andre Gardner (NCECI), and NECA staff members Pete Butler, Juanita Mitchell and Greg Armstrong were able to strengthen relationships with our experienced representatives, as well as meet with new members of Congress who are part of the largest freshman group in US History!

Our group met with nine members of Congress and one of the key meetings was with Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), who has offered to assist in our efforts to improve Local Business Preference on federal sites such as Travis and Beale Air Force Bases. As Chairman of the Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, Congressman Garamendi is also offering to propose policy suggested by Andre Gardner to ensure employers on federal projects properly classify their workers and provide workers’ compensation insurance. We will be working with our National NECA Government Affairs staff, as well as Congressman Garamendi’s office to move these policies forward.

Our group also promoted passage of HR-2344, a bill designed to further reform change-order policies by requiring immediate payment of at least 50% of change-order billings. Also, in regards to change-order and prompt payment laws, Chapter President Greg Long received special recognition from Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) for his advocacy and testimony in support of HR-4854, a law that recently passed relating to transparency in change-order policy. Other key issues we covered were Infrastructure and Transportation, tax policy and pension plan reform. A huge thank you to those that attended and participated in our democracy.

Updated Cost Data Sheets

Effective June 1, 2019, the following increases will go into effect. Please be sure to use the attached cost data sheets when bidding work in the corresponding jurisdiction.

Mariposa/Merced/Stanislaus/Tuolumne Counties, IBEW Local 684

• The membership of Local Union 684 has allocated it’s $2.50 increase effective June 1, 2019, under the Local Union 684 Inside Agreement as follows:
  • $0.34 to the Health & Welfare
  • $0.10 to the Pension Plan A
  • $0.10 to the Pension Plan B
  • $1.96 to the Wage

Updated Cost Data Sheets can be found on the Labor Agreement section of our website.

CE/CW Negotiations Concluded

Negotiations for the Bay Area and Central Valley CE/CW MOU’s have both concluded. A summary of the Bay Area MAI-MOU settlement can be found here. A summary of the Central Valley MAI-MOU settlement can be found here.

Updated cost data sheets for both MAI-MOUs, along with an updated Agreement for the Bay Area MAI-MOU, can be found on the Labor Agreements section of the website. The parties are still updating the Central Valley Agreement and will advise once the Agreement has been updated and signed.

Local Union 180 Negotiations Concluded

Negotiations for the Local 180 Inside Construction Agreement concluded with a settlement ratified by the members of Local 180 on April 18, 2019. The five-year agreement will commence on June 1, 2019, with a $2.10 increase which will be allocated by the membership on May 16, 2019. Click here to view a summary of the settlement.

A copy of the updated Agreement and cost data sheet will be provided after the allocation meeting. Please contact Scot VanBuskirk with the Chapter office should you have any questions.

NECA Releases Guide to Incident Investigations

Now available at www.necastore.com, NECA’s Guide to Incident Investigations (5026-18) looks at techniques to research and determine what actions should be implemented after any incident or accident, ensuring compliance with regulations and requirements. “By following the information found in this guide, employers and supervisors can seek to avoid similar occurrences in the future,” said NECA Director of Safety Wesley L. Wheeler.

NECA Members can purchase the printed guide through the NECA Store for $250.00, or as a resource kit for $100.00. NECA Digital Resources kits include a training PowerPoint, a PDF copy of the guide and any forms or checklists that are associated with the guide. Click here to order from the NECA Store.

Spring General Member Meeting Held

Last week’s Spring General Member meeting was a big success with over 70 in attendance. The evening started with networking, good conversation and visits to our Associate Members’ tables where they displayed product and shared information with our NECA contractors. Each Associate Member was given an opportunity to speak about their company and services, followed by a raffle prize drawing of gifts they provided. We would like to thank DHW Insurance Brokers, Du-All Safety, Federated Insurance, GrayBar Electric, Greenlee, LogoBoss, MedCor, Milwaukee Tool, Platt Electric Supply and Rexel.

Executive Director Greg Armstrong welcomed everyone in attendance, followed by a great dinner. A highlight of the evening was special guest speaker Justin Reginato who discussed the transition of college graduates into the workforce. Mr. Reginato also gave some practical examples of integrating the younger generation into your company.

NECA Hails Safety Achievement

Protecting workers on the job is not only a moral imperative and a legal obligation; it also makes good business sense. Dozens of NECA contractors are being recognized for their outstanding work and ongoing dedication to safety in the workplace through NECA’s Safety Achievement program for Zero-Injury and Safety Excellence.

In 2019, there were 181 Safety Excellence recipients and 108 Zero Injury recipients. This honor is given to NECA member companies that consistently have lower than industry standard OSHA recordable injury and fatality rates and have implemented internal company safety practices above and beyond basic compliance.

Congratulations to Long Electric Company for being a Safety Excellence recipient, as well as Zero Injury recipient! Click here to view a complete list of recipients.