The National MCAA Update

Volume 5, Number 25, June 19, 2000

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS . . . FOR PCA’s FIRST EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE – If you need a plumbing contractor September 21-23, try the St. Louis Marriott where the Plumbing Contractors of America (PCA) will hold its first educational conference. This special event opens Thursday evening with a Tool Exhibit for Plumbing Contractors and a reception. The Friday program includes four educational workshops covering such issues as contract clauses, job costing, codes, marketing, safety and prefabrication. Rounding out the program are roundtable discussions on plumbing work in the residential, commercial, and service area, and codes. Saturday morning’s closing session features Sam Horn – a popular MCAA speaker – who will explain how to deflect and disarm verbal conflicts, and UA representatives who will update members on the latest issues and developments in the plumbing industry. UA members are welcome to attend at the MCAA/PCA member rate. For more information, contact Pat Fink (pfink@mcaa.org).

FEDERAL UPDATE: Estate Tax Repeal Bill Passes House Overwhelmingly – On June 9, the federal estate tax moved closer to oblivion when the House voted 279-136 for its repeal. If enacted, the bill (H.R. 8) would completely phase out the estate tax over a 10-year period. However, the good fight is far from over; the Senate has not yet scheduled a vote on the measure, and the Administration continues to threaten a veto. Relief for small business and farm transfers may become a compromise position; some groups are holding back, hoping for total repeal under the next administration. . . . House Committee Delays Mark-Up on Utility Restructuring Bill – House Commerce Committee Chairman Tom Bliley (R-VA) has delayed for two weeks the full committee’s first-ever mark-up of the utility restructuring bill (H.R. 2944). On the Senate side, the Energy Committee has scheduled a mark-up for its bill (S. 2098) for June 20. . . Grassroots Action Needed to Move School Construction Bill – Please ask your Members of Congress to support H.R. 4094, America’s Better Classroom Act of 2000. The bill authorizes an income tax credit for qualified public school modernization bonds, and requires the payment of prevailing wages on projects financed with these bonds. MCAA’s Legislative Action Center (www.mcaa.org/private/governmentaffairs) has a model letter that you can print or e-mail to your representatives.

SAFETY & HEALTH: Warning!! Defective Shackles Found – Some shackles made in Korea, Japan, and China are failing at much lower levels of tension than their ratings indicate. Check your inventory for shackles made in those countries and which have their manufacturers’ name and load ratings stamped into the body rather than embossed (raised lettering) on the body. If any are identified, remove them from use immediately. . Recordkeeping Rule Delayed Until Year-End – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will not finish its long-awaited rewrite of the Labor Department’s employer injury and illness recordkeeping rules until year-end when the ergonomics standard is expected to be completed.

I.T. PROFESSIONALS? MCAA WANTS YOU FOR ITS NEW RESOURCE GROUP – MCAA’s new Technology Committee wants to form a resource group where members’ Information Technology (I.T.) professionals can exchange information about new and promising information technologies that could assist mechanical, service, and plumbing contractors run their businesses more productively and profitably. This new group will also be the place where they can get the latest news about upcoming general and construction-specific I.T. events and products. Have your I.T. professionals sign on today at www.mcaa.org/techgroup.

DATA AND STATISTICS: CPI Rises Slightly in May – The Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) for urban wage earners and clerical workers rose 0.1% in May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the year ending in April 2000, the CPI-W rose 3.3%. And, from April to May 2000, medical care costs increased 0.3%; the compound annual rate of increase for medical care costs for the 12-month period ending in May 2000 is 3.9%. . . Construction Job Losses Up in May – The nation’s unemployment rate hit 4.1% in May, rising 0.3% from its April level, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last month, the construction industry lost 29,000 jobs for an unemployment rate of 5.8%, up 5.2% from April. BLS reports that of the 6.7 million workers employed in the industry, 64% or 4.3 million work in the specialty sector, outpacing those in general building firms (about 1.5 million, or 22%) and heavy construction (928,300 or 14%). The average hourly wages of production/non-supervisory workers in construction was $17.70 in May, rising from $17.65 in April.