Effective June 1, 2018, increases for many of our Agreements were allocated. To view updated cost data sheets, please visit the Labor Agreements section of the NorCal NECA Website.

NECA, together with the ELECTRICAL TRAINING alliance and representatives from the IBEW, developed a guide to the major changes in the 2018 edition of NFPA 70E The Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. The 2018 Significant Changes to NFPA 70E (Index #5015-18) and the digital resource kit (5015-18RK) is available for purchase at www.necastore.com.

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) announces the release of its Vision 2020 Task Force final report. The task force, initiated by former NECA President David Hardt, identified coming opportunities and challenges critical to the association’s success and established a roadmap to position NECA to best serve and support their members’ future success. Click here to download the full report.

NECA National’s newly elected President, David Long has set aside time in his busy schedule to visit our members on June 11, 2018 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the ZNE Center in San Leandro. David Long is the President of Miller Electric in Jacksonville, Florida and was a driving force in implementing the Construction Electrician/Construction Wireman program. Since his election as our national President, he has been busy forming his vision for the future of the union electrical industry. President Long’s mission statement is Sustainable-Viable-Imaginable – Empowering Lives and Communities. Several of you heard President Long speak recently at our District IX Meeting in Maui. His message is worth hearing again, and definitely a must for all of our Chapter members. President Long will discuss pension reform efforts, manpower needs and greater use of sub-classifications, portability, field leadership training and other topics of concern. He will also challenge all of you to grow your businesses.

You won’t want to miss President Long’s unique style of delivery and his message from “one contractor to another.” He in turn wants feedback from NECA members from around the country. Lunch will be served and there will be time for questions and answers as well. Click here to view President Long’s speech at the IBEW Construction Conference.

Legislation authorizing two congestion pricing demonstration projects in Northern California and two in Southern California has been set for hearing. The bill would define “congestion pricing” to mean the assessment of a charge on motor vehicles using local streets and roads in a participating jurisdiction and the change could vary based on the time of day or the day of the week. The potential cost to contractors and the impact on construction vehicles ability to move freely within city areas has made this bill a priority oppose measure. If your company does work in major markets like Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose or Stockton, we request you submit an opposition letter on your company letterhead today.

A draft opposition letter is attached for your use. Please fax copies to the numbers listed on the letter next to the addressee and those cc’d. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Politico Office directly at (916) 444-3770.

Negotiations for the Local 684 Inside Construction Agreement concluded with a Joint Recommended Settlement approved by the members of Local Union 684. The three-year agreement will commence on June 1, 2018, with a $1.05 increase allocated as follows:

• $1.00 to the Wage
• $0.05 to the LMCT

Future increases include $1.25 effective December 1, 2018; $2.50 effective June 1, 2019; and $2.50 effective June 1, 2020. Click here to see the updated Cost Data Sheet for IBEW Local Union 684.

Please contact Ryan Sarna should you have any questions.

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

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 the following NorCal NECA Chapter Member on being recognized for their Zero-Injury and Safety Excellence in 2017!

• Long Electric Company
• Morrow Meadows
• PDE Total Energy Solutions

Click here to view other winners.

On March 23rd, President Trump signed H.R. 1625, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. This piece of legislation is commonly referred to as an “omnibus” and provides all discretionary funding for the federal government for the remaining fiscal year. The bill contains the full legislation and funding for all the 12 annual Appropriations bills:

1. Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration
2. Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
3. Defense
4. Energy and Water Development
5. Financial Services and General Government
6. Homeland Security
7. Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
8. Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
9. Legislative Branch
10. Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies
11. State, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies
12. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies

In addition to the 12 sections, it includes a number of policy riders, which authorize action unrelated to funding. It totals $1.3 trillion and was 2,330 pages long. Click here to read a NECA-Developed document which provides member-contractors with an overview of the bill and summarizes pertinent information.

When starting a job, there are a lot of activities that must be planned and organized that are facilitated through the baseline schedule. The Baseline Schedule, an on-demand online course to assist new electrical project managers with undertaking this task is now available in the NECA Learning Center for an introductory price of $10.00 per NECA participant.

Following this 30-minute course, you will be able to:

• Identify the different types of schedules
• Identify the elements and major activities of a baseline schedule
• Explain work breakdown structure
• Identify the resources that should be considered when scheduling activities
• Discuss how to communicate the baseline schedule to the project team and to the customer

NECA members can also view the free introduction to Preplanning course in preparation for this program here.

NorCal NECA’s Spring General Member meeting, held on April 10th, was a big success with over 90 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. Our Chapter President Greg Long and Executive Director Greg Armstrong welcomed everyone in attendance, followed by a great dinner.

A highlight of the evening was special guest speaker Alex Willis who discussed frontline leadership within your company. As the CEO of Leadership Surge, Alex provides a leadership development program that trains employees in the trade industry to become frontline leaders, helping push companies forward through future challenges. Alex challenged all in attendance to invest in their frontline leaders to help better their companies.