STUDY SHOWS OPEN SHOP WAGES ARE RISING:Open-shop wages are steadily rising to meet demand in sectors of the construction industry, soaring 5.1 percent in 2007, according to a Sept. 29 article in Engineering News-Record (ENR).  The article was based on a survey conducted by the Personnel Administration Services in Saline, Mich., which also predicted that wages could rise another 4.8 percent in 2008.

According to the article, although some sectors have dwindled, the need to staff petrochemical and power projects is the driving force for wage increases. Southern states have been the most affected, seeing a 5.4 percent increase in 2007 and are on track for another rise of 5.2 percent in 2008, according to ENR.

Many companies and contractors are experiencing an absence of skilled craftspeople such as electricians, pipefitters and boilermakers, which are the highest paid journeymen in the Gulf Coast region, the article noted. In addition, the ENR article cited a study by the Carnegie Mellon University Electricity Industry Center that reports about half of the power industry’s 400,000 workers are eligible for retirement during the next 10 years

DOL PROPOSED RULE HOPES TO PROTECT WORKER PRIVACY: The Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division Oct. 20 published a proposed rule that would revise regulations pertaining to the Davis-Bacon Act and the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act in an effort to better protect the privacy of workers on construction contracts by eliminating the requirement that personal information about the workers be transmitted each week.

The Davis-Bacon Act is applied to many federal construction projects and requires contractors and subcontractors to pay construction workers no less than the prevailing wage and fringe benefits for similar projects.  The Copeland Anti-Kickback Act requires contractors and subcontractors working on most federally financed construction contracts to furnish a weekly statement about wages paid to each worker.  Under the proposed rule, workers’ Social Security numbers and home addresses would be eliminated from weekly certified payroll submissions.

DOL stated in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that it believes it is possible to enforce the requirements without continuing to needlessly expose workers to potential identity theft by transmitting personal information on payroll records each week.  Construction contractors and subcontractors will still be required to maintain workers’ addresses and Social Security numbers and government agencies responsible for ensuring compliance with contract provisions will continue to be able to access that information if necessary for purposes of an audit or investigation.

WITH LESS THAN TWO WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION, ABC PROVIDES VOTER RESOURCES:With less than two weeks left until the Presidential election on Nov. 4, it is more important than ever for ABC member companies to talk to their employees about exercising their right to vote.  To help employers encourage their employees to cast their vote on election day, ABC has provided online voting resources at www.abc.org/getoutthevote.  ABC’s online voting toolkit provides information on topics related to the upcoming elections and offers advice to employers on communicating with their employees about voting.  The toolkit includes templates for letters that can be sent to employees directly or posted on bulletin boards and paycheck stuffers containing information on card check and gas prices.

In addition, ABC provides members with a candidate comparison flyer, which outlines where the two presidential candidates stand on issues important to ABC members and the construction industry.  ABC also offers a short, four-minute video that can be shown to all employees at any ABC member company explaining the key issues in the 2008 election.

To view ABC’s online voting toolkit, visit www.abc.org/getoutthevote.

To view the “Election 2008: A Clear Choice” video, visit www.abc.org/clearchoice.

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~~~NEW SEMINARS BEING OFFERED~~~

UNDERSTANDING THE LATINO CULTURE

Does your company employ or do your employees interact with Latinos employed by other companies on your job site?

Do you understand the Latino’s style at work?

Our seminar will cover several topics including motivation conflict, management, forcefulness, sense of responsibility,

risk taking, resourcefulness, ethics and problem solving.  Also to be discussed will be Latino loyalty, ambition, leadership, pride, honor and success along with general issues in the workplace and interaction with other cultures and other Latinos. 

This seminar is being presented by Chip Andersen and will be held at the Ashland Country Club, Ashland, NE on October 29 from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

PRODUCTIVITY EQUALS PROFITABILITY

This is a one-day program that will help provide employees of self-performing construction companies with a realistic view of what must happen in the field in order to increase gross profit on every job.  This program is designed for the self-performing general and trade contractors, owners, CEO’s, upper-;level managers, estimators, project and operations managers, general superintendents and field supervisors at all levels of responsibility.

This program is being presented by Michael Brunner and will be held at the Ashland Country Club, Ashland, NE on November 12, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

COMMUNICATION & LEADERSHIP BASICS PROGRAM

This eight-hour program focuses on identifying, explaining and applying the basic concepts of both communication and leadership in the construction industry.  The program is for anyone in the construction industry who holds (or plans to hold) a leadership or management position – presidents, vice presidents, project managers, estimators, field supervisors, foremen, crew leaders, lead men, etc.

This program is also being presented by Michael Brunner and will be held at the Ashland Country Club, Ashland, NE on November 13, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

SIGN UP USING THE REGISTRATION FORM BELOW -- FAX/EMAIL YOUR REGISTRATIONS TO THE LINCOLN OFFICE at 402-477-4522 (fax) or debh@abcnebraska.org (email)

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Training Classes

Management & Safety Class Schedule

First Aid/CPR Classes

$50.00 each attendee – Member Price/$60.00 each attendee – Non-Member

Recertification only - $40.00 each attendee – Member Price/$50.00 each attendee – Non-Member Price

¨  November 4, 2008 – 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. – LINCOLN

¨  November 7, 2008 – 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. - OMAHA

¨  November 12, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. - OMAHA

¨  November 13, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. – LINCOLN

¨  November 18, 2008 – 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – KEARNEY

¨  November 19, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. – NORFOLK

OSHA 10 Hour Class

OSHA requires a competent person on all job sites.  This course ensures that your people have the necessary training to comply with OSHA standards CFR 1926.32(f) for a competent person. Training includes OSHA Construction Standards CFR 29 1926, Scaffolds, Ladders and Stairways, Housekeeping, Personal Tools, Electrical Hazards, Fall Protection, Materials Handling, Hazardous Communications and much more!

**CFR 192 OSHA Regulations Book for the Construction Industry with new steel erection standards will be available for $25.00** each for class participants.

$135.00 each attendee – Member Price/$240.00 each attendee – Non-Member Price

¨  November 19, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – KEARNEY

¨  November 20, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – NORFOLK

¨  November 25, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – LINCOLN

¨  November 25, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. - OMAHA

Focus Four Safety Training:

For employees who are starting to work in the industry or the seasoned employee who may need a refresher course in the four focused areas that cause the most injuries and deaths in construction.  The course will cover the 4 subparts of the CFR1926 standard – falls, electrical, struck by and caught-in-between.

$90.00 each attendee – Member Price/$125.00 each attendee – Non-Member Price

¨  November 11, 2008 – 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.- LINCOLN

30 Hour OSHA Class

Federal Law requires each company have a designated trained safety coordinator.  This will give your foremen, supervisors, safety directors or safety coordinators the expertise to comply with all OSHA and State requirements.  This is an in-depth look at CFR 1926 and 1920 and NE 757 as they affect construction. Price includes study materials

$395.00 each attendee – Member Price / $595.00 each attendee –Non-Member price.

¨  December 2, 9, 16, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. - LINCOLN
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Omaha Classes are held at the Education Center, 2602 Harney Street, Omaha

Lincoln Classes are held at the Training Center, 830 Westgate Blvd., Lincoln

PLEASE DUPLICATE THIS FORM FOR MULTIPLE CLASSES

Company:                                         Address:                                Phone:                                   Fax:               

Names (please print):                                                                       Class/Date:                            Cost:              

                                                                                                         Class/Date:                            Cost:              

                                                                                                           Class/Date:                            Cost:              

Return Registration Form and Check Payable to Associated Builders & Contractors

830 Westgate Blvd., Lincoln, NE  68528    FAX 402-477-4522

Email-debh@abcnebraska.org