Anne Newcombe, Editor, Ph: 1-800-556-3653, Fax: 301-990-9690
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Volume 4, Number 41, October 11, 1999
JUST THREE WEEKS UNTIL THE EARLY BIRD CUT-OFF FOR SAN DIEGO 2000 REGISTRATION – November 1 is the early bird registration cut-off date for what promises to be a thought-provoking convention devoted to examining the challenges that will face contractors well into the 21st Century. Moreover, convention-goers will be able to engage in this intensive educational activity in a place that is also renowned for relaxation: sunny San Diego. San Diego and the surrounding area are known as a perfect destination, with year-round 70ºF weather and an abundance of activities for golfers, animal lovers, shoppers and anyone who enjoys beautiful scenery. You can read all about San Diego -- and the general session speakers, educational workshops, social events and networking opportunities offered by San Diego 2000 -- in the brochure that was sent last week or at www.mcaa.org/conference/mcaa/sd2000/.You can register online, by mail or fax. Or, contact Shawn Durand (shawn@mcaa.org) with registration questions.
27th IPM CLASS IS SOLD OUT! – The 27th class of MCAA’s Institute for Project Management (IPM) -- Week 1 – April 30-May 4, 2000; Week 2 – September 17-21, 2000 -- sold out last week. This also marks the 27th consecutive sell-out of the popular program. Dennis Langley, MCAA’s Director of Career Development, indicated that those wanting to enroll for the next available IPM, the 28th, can do so now. He said "…the new registration form is currently online along with information on specific courses which will be offered in that class." The dates for the 28th class are: Week 1 – October 1-5, 2000; Week 2 – January 7-11, 2001. Please contact Dennis Langley (dlangley@mcaa.org) with questions.
A REMINDER TO RETURN MCAA’S STAT SURVEY – If you have not yet returned the 1999 MCAA Statistical Survey report forms that were sent to you, we urge you to complete the survey. Remember, members who return the survey form will receive a copy of the 1999 Statistical Survey final report at no charge. With your input, the survey can be a great management tool.
COMMUNICATION AMONG LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS THROUGH MCAA – Starting today, staff of MCAA affiliated associations will be able to share their bright ideas, interesting questions and industry observations through a new MCAA e-mail program, AEC-Talk. Limited to local association and national staff, the interactive conversations that take place will benefit all members through the increased, real-time sharing of important industry and association information.
UTILITY DEREGULATION/RESTRUCTURING – Congressional testimony highlights need for federal legislation -- The National Alliance for Fair Competition (NAFC) urged Congress to include language prohibiting unfair competition in H.R. 2944, The Electricity Competition and Reliability Act of 1999, in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power on October 6. The subcommittee is scheduled to mark up the bill in the next two weeks. MCAA and its NAFC partners have been working to gain support for a fair competition amendment to be added in mark up. NAFC's testimony is available online at http://www.naffc.org/.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION – Estate tax repeal/reduction -- Estate tax relief is to be included in a proposal to increase the minimum wage by $1 over the next three years. The bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Rick Lazio (R-NY) and Gary Condit (D-CA), will be introduced next week…Prevailing wages --Congressional Republicans and Administration officials reached agreement on a $99 billion Labor/HHS spending bill. The Senate rejected several proposed amendments to the bill that would have weakened Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage protections. The bill now moves to conference committee…Ergonomics amendment withdrawn – Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott withdrew his ergonomics amendment to the Labor/HHS spending bill. The amendment would have prohibited OSHA from issuing a proposed ergonomics standard until a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) study is completed in 2001. The Senator is planning to add the content of the amendment to other legislation to be passed by Congress later this year. MCAA would like to see the regulatory proposal on ergonomics delayed until the NAS study is completed and the science from the study justifies the need for such a standard.
DATA AND STATISTICS – Employment/Unemployment facts and figures -- The unemployment rate in September was 4.2%, unchanged from the previous month, according to an October 8 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) news release. The unemployment rate has been steady—either 4.3% or 4.2%--since March. In September, the construction industry gained 21,000 jobs; the unemployment rate for construction workers was 6.8%, down from 7.9% in August. BLS reports that 17,000 of the gained jobs were in construction special trades payrolls. Of the 6,266,000 persons employed in the industry, according to BLS, a majority of 3,986,000 (some 64%) work in the specialty trade sector of the industry, outpacing the numbers in general building firms at 1,429,000 (23%) and heavy construction at 851,000 (14%). Average hourly pay of production/non-supervisory workers in construction was $17.44 in August, up from $17.27 the month before, outpacing mining ($17.11) in the top ranks above the manufacturing sector ($14.12) generally. Compared to other manufacturing sectors, construction outpaced fabricated metal products ($13.61); industrial machinery and equipment ($15.28); electronic and other electrical equipment ($13.64); and instruments and related products ($14.34). However, construction was lower than motor vehicles and equipment ($18.92) and transportation equipment ($18.50).
