The National MCAA Update

Volume 4, Number 5 - February 1, 1999

NATIONAL ISSUES CONFERENCE PLANNED – MCAA/NECA/SMACNA Alliance staff met last week to plan the Alliance National Issues Legislative Conference (April 25-27, 1999 at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Washington DC). Fred Barnes, nationally noted political commentator, will address the group on Sunday evening. Conference topics include: prevailing wage efficacy and school rebuilding programs, proper worker classification criteria to protect workforce investments, elimination or phase-out of the federal estate tax on small business, project labor agreements and other key issues affecting Alliance member business interests. Also this year, members of the National Erectors Association and the Finishing Contractors Association have been invited to attend the conference. Call Shawn Durand (shawn@mcaa.org) for registration information.

COLLEGE INTERNSHIP SURVEY RETURNS EXCEED EXPECTATIONS – Returns of the MCAreers College Internship survey sent out with the January mailing have surpassed the expectations of the Career Development Committee (CDC). Dennis Langley, MCAA’s Director of Career Development, said that by late Friday, he had received many surveys, half of them returned online. "This return is impressive for an educational survey in the construction industry," Langley said. "So far, all the surveys are saying, ‘Yes, we want interns, lots of them, and now!’ This kind of information really tells me that MCAA is on the right track by emphasizing student chapters and internships as a first priority." CDC Chairman Bill Bianco hopes this interest in internships will translate into contractor attendance and participation in the Your Future Workforce panel discussion at the upcoming MCAA 1999 convention (1:30 pm, Tuesday, February 23). The survey can be completed online by going to http://www.mcaa.org/careers and clicking on the survey link. Click "submit" and the information goes straight into a database at MCAA. If you would like a survey mailed or faxed, please contact Sobeida Orantes (sorantes@mcaa.org).

ATTENTION PARK HOPPERS – DISCOUNT DEADLINE EXTENDED – Taking into account the bad weather that has prevailed across the nation, WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort has extended the deadline for Park Hopper Discounted tickets. In order to qualify for the discount, MCAA attendees should mail the form to Disney no later than Feb 5 so the tickets can be mailed back in time (there is a two-week turnaround time.) If you need another ticket discount form, call Susan (susan@mcaa.org)

MILLER ACT REFORM — On January 27, The Coalition to Modernize the Miller Act continued constructive negotiations with AGC and surety representatives over proposed amendments to the federal construction project bonding law. The parties agreed in principle to positive changes, including increasing the payment bond to equal the contract price, providing notice of intent to sue on the bond, and prohibiting advance waivers of Miller Act rights. Outstanding issues include bond claim filing time limits, attorneys’ fees and protection for all jobsite subcontractors. (The Miller Act is on the agenda for the MCAA/NECA/SMACNA Construction Alliance National Issues Conference scheduled for April 25-27).

MCAA LABOR AGREEMENTS REFERENCE UPDATE – Plumber/Pipe Fitter Wage and Benefit Rate -- Wage and benefit rates for plumbers and pipefitters over the last five years, January 1994-January 1999, by dollar amount and percentage increase, are available on the MCAA home page in the Labor Agreements Reference Library. . . . Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Digest also available -- A digest of the WIA, a Federal job training law that replaces the Joint Training Partnership Act, is available online.The digest explains how job training funds are disbursed; that business leaders must chair and comprise a majority of the members of the boards that disburse job training funds; and how job training providers are selected. Links to the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (the agency implementing the WIA), the National Governors Association, and the state employment and training agencies and state workforce development councils for all 50 states are included. This information allows members to track WIA implementation in their states, and to learn how to become actively involved with the implementation. The digest and the links are available through MCAA's home page, in the Labor Agreements Reference Library.

DAVIS-BACON WAGE SURVEYS –The recent Government Accounting Office study of the Davis-Bacon wage survey process discussed a statewide pilot survey of changing the Davis-Bacon wage and benefits rate reporting from the confusing "peak week" basis to total hours in a job classification on a project. The Labor Department's Wage & Hour Division has tested this paperwork streamlining reporting in Hawaii and Alaska (on a small residential survey) in recent years. The regular audit of the Hawaii reports is set to begin next month, with DOL analysis to follow later to see if the simplified reports improved the accuracy of the data and the wage determinations. Also, MCAA, along with its Alliance partners, has been advocating an across-the-board simplification to total hours reporting as opposed to peak week (See a sample letter to DOL on the subject on the Legislative Action section of the MCAA webpage.) The MCAA/NECA/SMACNA Alliance is promoting adoption of proposed regulations on that item.

OSHA’S REVISED RECORD KEEPING RULE EXPECTED IN JUNE – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is revising its regulation on Reporting and Recording of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. The revised rule may be published in June of 1999. It is expected that the revised rule will simplify the OSHA 200 Injury/Illness Recording Log by eliminating the "Restricted Work Activity" column. The new log will likely be referred to as the OSHA 300 Log. MCAA will inform you about all of OSHA’s changes to the Record Keeping rule.