On Wednesday, June 17, 2020, the Insurance Commissioner announced his approval of our supported special regulatory filing to make rule changes to the California Workers’ Compensation Uniform Statistical Reporting Plan – 1995 (USRP) and the California Workers’ Compensation Experience Rating Plan – 1995 (ERP). The most significant portion of the decision was the approval of the regulations that would exclude COVID-19 claims from a contractor’s experience modification rate (EMR). These proposed regulations were of critical importance in protecting contractors from significant increases in their EMR related to COVID-19 incidents. A copy of the decision can be found by clicking here.

For those who are interested in attending this year’s virtual convention, we encourage you to register prior to the rate increase. Click here to register with your individual ID and last name. If you should have any questions, or need assistance, please contact Jenny Fothergill with the Chapter office.

ELECTRI International released Pandemics and Construction Productivity: Qualifying the Impact, a critical report on the impact of COVID-19 on cost and schedule in the construction industry. The report evaluates activity from January 6, 2020 through May 8, 2020, tracking pandemic mitigation activity, benchmarking productivity and assessing the impact on businesses and projects. View the initial findings of the report, overview videos and useful resources by clicking here.

NECA Premier Partners Graybar and 3M are working hard to help provide access to an assortment of masks, gloves, glasses and disinfectant for NECA Contractors and their workers. The initial list will expand based on requests from NECA Contractors and NECA will include a “demand forecast tool” that will help them meet their needs during this time. To retain the integrity of this supply chain and access to genuine 3M parts, an order site will be available to current NECA Member Contractors.

NECA has created a dedicated page within their website with all of the information. Be sure to follow all steps outlined in the ‘How to Order’ section. During this process, NECA asks for everyone’s patience. Contractors must understand that because of the limited availability of supplies, especially N95 masks, it is about need vs. want.

Click here to start the process.

Effective June 1, 2020, the following increases will go into effect. Please be sure to download the updated cost data sheets from the Agreements page of our website.

• Mariposa/Merced/Stanislaus/Tuolumne Counties, IBEW Local 684
• Napa and Solano Counties, IBEW Local 180
• San Joaquin and Calaveras Counties, IBEW Local 595-E
• CE/CW MAI-MOU

Due to the COID-19 health crisis, NorCal NECA has made the tough decision to cancel the 2020 NorCal NECA Golf Classic that was scheduled for May 18, 2020. Last year, we raised nearly $50,000 to help the wonderful charities listed below. As you can imagine, the COVID-19 health crisis has negatively affected all of these charities who rely on generous donations in order to provide their services. Should you wish to make an independent donation to any of the charities, simply click on their name below to be redirected to their website. We will definitely miss this fun and charitable event, but we will carry on in 2021.

• Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area
• Aldea, Inc.
• Modesto Gospel Mission
• Attitudinal Healing Connection
• Hospice of San Joaquin

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you all back at Ruby Hills in 2021.

NorCal NECA has created a Coronavirus Resource Center on our website to help contractors navigate through these tough times. Please click here to be directed to that webpage for more information.

In wake of the continued concerns and recent developments over the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), NorCal NECA has made the decision to cancel our upcoming Spring General Member Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

The Federal Civil Penalties Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act) requires the Department to annually adjust its civil monetary penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15th of each year. Adjustments are made by issuing a final rule that is effective on its date of publication in the Federal Register.

The cost-of-living adjustment multiplier for 2020, based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the month of October 2019 (not seasonally adjusted), is 1.01764. The adjustment factor of 1.01764 will remain consistent across the minimum and maximum penalties set forth in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of the FOM. You can view the 2020 memo, which was released on January 10, 2020, by clicking here.