UPDATE ALERT
September 18, 2008
REMINDER – EXCELLENCE IN CONSTRUCTION “HOW TO” SESSION
A special “HOW TO” session will be held on September 23rd in Lincoln at Valentino’s Restaurant beginning at 1:00 and on
September 24th in Omaha at Anthony’s Restaurant beginning at 1:00
to assist you or your staff in preparing your entries.
OSHA LAUNCHES CRANE SAFETY PROGRAM IN THE SOUTH: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)Aug. 13 launched a regional program on crane safety in construction throughout the agency’s Region VI area which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. The program was created to supplement existing agency programs, and includes more job site monitoring and promoting employee awareness of the safety and health hazards of construction activities involving cranes. Worksites that are under federal OSHA jurisdiction are the targets of the program.
According to OSHA, the program will address the leading cause of accidents when cranes are used in construction including electrocution, cranes tipping over, falls and employees being struck by objects or caught in machinery. OSHA will use various avenues to address crane safety, including enforcement, outreach, training, on-site consultation, partnerships, alliances and the agency’s Voluntary Protection Programs.
SEPTEMBER 30 DEADLINE TO SUBMIT EMPLOYER INFORMATION REPORT: ABC would like to remind members that the Employer Information Report EEO-1, also known as the EEO-1 report, a government form requiring employers to provide a count of their employees by job category and then by ethnicity, race and gender, is required to be filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s EEO-1 Joint Reporting Committee by Sept. 30, 2008.
The EEO-1 report must be filed annually with the EEOC and must include employment numbers from any pay period in July through September of 2007. All employers with 100 or more employees are required to file the EEO-1 report, as well as all federal government contractors and first-tier subcontractors with 50 or more employees and a contract amounting to $50,000.
The 2008 EEO-1 report can be completed online by visiting http://www.eeoc.gov/eeo1survey/index.html. All companies should have received filing materials by mail no mater than mid-August and should have a Login ID and password. If you cannot locate your Login ID and/or password, contact the Joint Reporting Committee at e1.techassistance@eeoc.gov.
HOUSE APPROVES ENERGY BILL THAT ALLOWS OFFSHORE DRILLING: The U.S. House of Representatives Sept. 16 voted 236 to 189 to approve the “Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act” (H.R. 6899), a bill that would allow offshore drilling and expand tax credits for clean energy but does not adequately address the need for additional supplies of energy to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and gas.
In a letter sent to all House members, ABC urged Congress to vote against the bill and pointed out there is no incentive for states to open up their waters for oil and gas exploration. ABC also noted that states must be allowed to share in the benefits of the energy resources found off their coasts. ABC also noted that the bill restricts any drilling within 50 miles of the coastline, however vast amounts of oil and natural gas resources fall within the zone deemed off limits in the bill.
In addition, Section 165 of the bill would require a union-only project labor agreement on pipeline projects contained within the legislation. “While ABC believes that increased domestic energy production will be beneficial to all Americans, we believe the government has a responsibility to award such contracts free of any bias based on labor affiliation,” the letter stated. “The federal government should not promote costly and discriminatory labor policies that exclude nearly 87 percent of all construction workers.”
President Bush said he will veto H.R. 6899 if it makes it to his desk.
PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT UPDATE: On August 11, 2008, the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB arguing that a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) was a violation of federal law. The PLA in question was signed by Ballpark Village, LLC with the San Diego Community Building and Construction Trades Council. The unfair labor practice charge alleges that the PLA contains unlawful secondary boycott provisions not protected by the construction industry proviso of the NLRA because Ballpark Village, LLC is not a licensed contractor in the state, performs no construction work, and does not employ any construction workers. As a consequence, the ULP charge alleges that the object of the unions in entering into the PLA was to impact the labor relations of other unrelated and secondary entities. The typical PLA restricts contractors on the project to only contractors which have a contract with the union. The construction industry proviso allows an exception for “an employer in the construction industry.” Due to the allegations in this case that the construction industry proviso does not apply, all construction industry employers should stay tuned for developments in this case as the NLRB considers the ULP charge. By Bill Harding, Chapter Attorney
ABC OFFERS ONLINE RESOURCES TO FIGHT CARD CHECK: ABC is now offering paycheck stuffers designed to help member companies educate their colleagues and employees about the impact the “Employee Free Choice Act,” also called “card check,” would have on the construction industry. If passed, “card check” legislation would strip away the rights of 140 million U.S. workers to a federally supervised private ballot election when deciding whether or not to unionize.
The paycheck stuffers can be found in ABC’s online “card check” toolkit that also includes letters-to-the-editors, opinion editorials, talking points and informational handouts to help members get the word out about this bill. The toolkit can be found by visiting www.abc.org/cardcheck. Click here to view ABC’s online toolkit for combating “card check” legislation.
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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
¨ September 23, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. – LINCOLN
¨ September 25, 2008 – 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. – OMAHA
¨ October 7, 2008 - 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. – LINCOLN
¨ October 9, 2008 – 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. - OMAHA
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
¨ October 14, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – OMAHA
¨ October 15, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – LINCOLN
Forklift/All Terrain Training
The OSHA standard 29CFR1926.602(d)requires employees who operate forklifts be trained in both the classroom and through a practical exercise on the type of equipment that they will be running in the field.
$125.00 each attendee – Member Price/$200.00 each attendee – Non-Member Price
¨ October 9, 2008 - 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – OMAHA
¨ October 15, 2008 – 1:00 p.m. – 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.
¨ October 21, 28 & November 4, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – OMAHA
¨ December 2, 9, 16, 2008 – 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. - LINCOLN
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
HVAC/MECH Code Lincoln $125.00
Oct. 22 through January 7, 2009 . Call 477-4451 for more details
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Construction Blueprint Reading Lincoln $250 member/$350 non-member
Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6, 13, 20 & Dec. 4, 2008 Call 477-4451 for more information
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
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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 402-477-4522