Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Well, sooner or later, some contractors are going to get hungry enough to step out of their comfort zones and seriously entertain means by which to compete in the market place. Some will die on the vine. Other more sophisticated contractors, capable of adapting to market challenges, will take their place and continue to grow their companies.
It’s important to note that, if a bid minus the cost of labor is still too high, we can rest assured that the labor rate is not the problem. Once the real; problem is identified and removed, perhaps the use of the CW/CE labor rate will amount to an equation worth bidding with.
Labor has done its cooperative part by helping establish the sought-after classifications requested in both Inside private sector and Solar Photovoltaic arenas. The success of these measures now rests with the entrepreneurial aptitude of contractors willing to make a go of them. Ironic as it may seem, the silver lining here is the very fact that open shop contractors are still effectively competing for and performing work using the very same CW/CE guys whom our contractors are hesitant to use. Perhaps these open shop contractors might now find it attractive to use these very same guys at the same rates, with the added value of IBEW/NECA training behind their belts, in a signatory capacity.
If we can’t nudge our signatory contractors to beat them, then perhaps we can entice them to join our signatory contractors, and breathe new life into the corpse of obsolete bidding habits and business mindsets.
We’ll leave no stone unturned, and no contractor unsolicited, as we mine through our jurisdiction looking for contractors who are willing step up, further the integrity of the unionized electrical construction industry, and put our brothers and sisters to work.
There is hope!
Fraternally,
The $25 BevMo card went to Terry Sandlin, the membership drawing for $100 was #155, Chad Davis, who was not present. The drawing will remain at $100 for the December 10th meeting.
Events
Santa At The Hall
Santa has confirmed an arrival of 10:00 A.M. on December 4th at the Hall. Light continental breakfast starts at 9:30 A.M. please plan on attending!
Look for the “Local Events” on the lower left of the menu and click on it and then scroll down the page to our calendar. Sign up for email reminders via Google and never miss an event! Sign-up to Help www.ibewlu180.org email us to help support community projects
We have also moved this Union Meeting… for our annual holiday party. To better enjoy the food, friends and fun the Union Meeting has been moved to Friday the 10th that follows the normal union meeting night.
Reminders via our phone system will also go out about two days before the meetings. Some have asked why they don’t receive the phone calls or they are cut-off. Answer is that our system senses if there is a person or answering machine on the line before playing the recorded message. It has trouble with some answering machines and cell phones.
Volunteering / Community Projects
We have volunteers supporting the power needs for Loma Vista Farm’s Christmas tree lighting—thanks to Sal Rodriquez and “crew”. Benicia’s Habitat for Humanity House was supported by Clark Driggars. Mark Schadwald, Mark’s Electric, is supporting many community projects in Vallejo.
Reminders via our phone system will also go out about two days before the meetings. Some have asked why they don’t receive the phone calls or they are cut-off. Answer is that our system senses if there is a person or answering machine on the line before playing the recorded message. It has trouble with some answering machines and cell phones.
Our Heroes from the April Blood Drive: Michael Ambrose, John Bogart, Craig Cathcart, Edward Dayton, David Doss, William Finkel, Glen Flores, Steve Garcia, Samuel Haines, Gerald Johnson, Michael Jones, Stanley Nelson, Rick Row, Konan Timberlake, Herbert Watts, Jonathan Wilson & Patrick Wirsing
The Valero Refinery has reduced manpower down below 50 after the last round of reductions. The project completion remains December 2010 and Newtron will continue into the turnaround. No details yet on the turnaround.
AMS Electric has started on the Solano Irrigation District office—they took this job away from our competition due to “qualifications issues”! It is a small short duration project that will take a couple of JIWs.
Mike Brown has the Vallejo Parking Garage and the project has started forming the footings. They will hire a few guys and have the power on by March 2011!
The Verizon call center is winding down and should be complete by the end of the year.
Rosendin at the Montezuma Hills Wind Project estimates the next phase of 34 will start in March 2011.
Sprig Electric’s Frank Lin Distillery in Fairfield is about completion.
On both the VacaValley Hospital site (Schetter) the parking lot is done and it will be spring before the new building starts.
The Queen of the Valley (Rosendin) there is not much to report. We will have to see how weather impacts the site work phase and tie-ins between the existing and new buildings.
The Vallejo Transit Center is near completion and will only be 100% once they curb the feeder theft! Two guys remain onsite doing punch list items and replacing feeders.
Michels Construction has the SMUD wind farm in Rio Vista. We do not know how long the easement negotiations will take, so it is hard to project a start date. However, site work cannot proceed during the winter raining season. This year is projected to be a wet one.
Guarantee Electric has put a few calls in in November. Many Contractors do not provide projections or duration on private work as a matter of policy. However, for Guarantee, they perform a wide range of work and its subject to how much work is in the “pipe-line” as to how many for how long. So, when it comes to Guarantee’s job calls—we really do not know.
Neal Electric has started the Kaiser Vallejo PV job. They will only take 2 JW’s and 2 Apprentices.
Book one is filling up due many projects completing. Please don’t miss resign. Fax your resign or drop it off every 2-3 weeks—don’t wait until the last minute! December is one of the months with 5 Wednesdays.
Speaking of resign… we do stress you call to confirm we have received your fax. This is for two very good (and reoccurring) reasons:
- The fax is blank because it was put in the machine backwards or you used a pencil;
- It was faxed and you have rolled off, or it was faxed on your 4th Wednesday and you must resign in person
Visit ibewlu180.org’s work picture page to see how many are on the books, where the calls went and any news on projects.
From The Pew Charitable Trusts: “Our data show that 65 percent of today’s clean energy economy jobs are in the category of Conservation and Pollution Mitigation—a sector that reflects the growing recognition among the public, policy makers and business leaders of the need to recycle waste, conserve water and mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. But three other categories—Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency and Environmentally Friendly Production—are growing at a far faster clip. And about 80 percent of venture capital investments in 2008 were in the sectors of Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency: businesses and jobs working to develop clean, renewable energy”
The data for California shows there are 10,209 clean businesses creating 125,390 jobs resulting in a 7.7% growth in clean jobs between 1998-2007 with $6,580,427 in venture capital. This is while groups campaigned to over turn AB32—Green House Gas Reduction. One could only speculate how the market will take-off after the sound defeat of Prop. 23.
Read more here
Commercial buildings can save up to 40% in energy savings by simply turning lights off in unoccupied offices, conference rooms, and restrooms during business hours.
California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP) partner utilities, which encompass over 90% of the California market, will require CALCTP-certified contractors and CALCTP-certified general electricians for installation. Bruce Gourley and Mike Smith are certified instructors for the CALCTP. In November the JATC will start classes for members to become CALCTP-certified.
Bruce Gourley is teaching day classes running Monday through Friday starting at 8:00 A.M. Mike Smith will teach a night class starting on January 4th to offer flexibility and certify members as soon as possible. The training boards (shown at right) are located in the shop of the Training Center/Union Hall. Two students are trained on each side with one instructor supervising eight students max. Therefore, a class of eight will have 32 hours of “hands-on” and eight hours in the classroom. There is no cost for the class!
The training hours will qualify for the State Recertification continuing education requirement. For the people on the class interest list—the JATC will be calling you very soon and looking for teacher’s aides from the attendees of the first class. If you have not signed up—call the JATC at 251-0315 and let them know if you want day or night classes.
The California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP) is a statewide initiative aimed at increasing the use of lighting controls in commercial buildings and industrial facilities.
Through proper installation, advanced lighting controls improve energy efficiency in commercial facilities and save significant dollars. CALCTP will educate, train and certify licensed electrical contractors, and state certified general electricians in the proper design, installation and commissioning of advanced lighting control systems.
What are the prerequisites? Because the lecture and lab work move along at a challenging pace, all participants must be equally prepared prior to enrollment. The prerequisite studies are on the Lighting Controls Association website—modules EE101, EE102, EE103, and EE201 (Approximately 12 hours). You can start now. These courses can be found at:
http://www.aboutlightingcontrols.org/Education_Express/accr_orgs.php.
Only three days into the lame-duck Congress, and Republicans continued their obstructionist ways. All the Senate Republicans voted “no” to prevent the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) from coming to the floor. The final vote, 58-41, fell two votes short of the 60 needed to break the Republican-obstruction. The House passed the bill last year. If enacted, it would help close the wage gap between women and men. I am at a loss to understand why people will vote against their own best interests. There are only four women in the U.S. Senate but those four-stood firm with the men in the Republican Party, to block this legislation that would guarantee that employers could not get away with paying women less than men. I should not be surprised, over the 42 years I worked in the trade, I became acquainted with many of my fellow union workers who always supported the Republican ticket against there own best interest and the best interest of union and non-union workers.
We have a very serious problem facing middleclass workers with the new congress that has been elected. This is mostly a result of a very vocal and active new right wing group called the Tea Party. Their main agenda is to reduce the size of government and cut taxes. Who can argue with that, not me? But in my opinion most of them do not have all the facts. Social Security is one of the issues that has been promoted as a major contributor of the budget deficit. The fact is that Social Security has never caused the deficit to rise by one Penney. Social Security is totally paid for with contributions from employees and employers. Social Security has a $2.6-trillion surplus that will keep it solvent till the year 2037. At that point it will continue to be able to pay 80%of promised benefits. The Congressional Budget Office supports this fact. Social Security should not be used as a solution to reducing the national debt.
Social Security has kept millions of Americans out of poverty, including senior citizens, widows, disabled and dependent children, whose parents have died, become disabled, or retired. Social Security provides two/thirds of the income of elderly citizens. Approximately one-third of elderly individuals receive nearly all of their income from Social Security.
Proposals to privatize Social Security would jeopardize the retirement security of millions of Americans by relying on the ups-and-downs of the volatile stock market to provide benefits; we have seen the ethics of the Wall Street crowd,” Not Good”. For instance, Goldman Sachs, Merrill lynch and other Wall Street giants who’s primary job they propagate is “ the clients come first”. After the meltdown we find out they took advantage and shoved lousy securities down the client’s throats, they reduced their own exposure to risk and laid it on their clients. They did this with false reports from regulatory agencies and sub-prime packages that were loaded with risky mortgage loans just to name a few of the shady practices on Wall Street.
We have seen that profit at any cost is their only goal. I believe that Wall Street is looking at the huge amount of money that is coming from workers and employers and see the opportunity for more profits for themselves. The politicians that promote the privatizing of Social Security realize that by privatizing Social Security they wouldn’t have to pay back the $2.6-trillion dollars they borrowed from the Social Security program. This would solve the debt crisis immediately and they could continue with their reckless spending.
Now back to the Tea Party group that is made up mostly of older Americans that are already retired and receiving Social Security. The politicians that want to privatize Social Security realize that the majority of seniors do not want any changes to Social Security, so the promise to them is, that people who are now receiving Social Security, need not worry, because it will not affect them, and they will continue to receive benefits with no change. Since it doesn’t affect these seniors, and they believe it is going to solve the budget crisis problem, they are all for it. Well it does affect them, they won’t get their COLA’s a/k/a “cost of living increases” which is a very important part of the program, this helps seniors to keep up with rising costs. So you seniors that think you have your butt covered, you better wake up.
Bud Huss,
VP Retired Electrician Club.
DATE: November 23, 2010 BULLETIN: 10-19
CSLB Announces Zero-Tolerance for C-10 Requirement Violations
Only Certified Electricians to Perform Work as Electricians
SACRAMENTO – Effective immediately, the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) establishes a zero-tolerance enforcement policy and will issue legal action against any C-10 Electrical contractor who willfully employs even one uncertified electrician to perform work as an electrician. CSLB is legally required to open an investigation and initiate disciplinary action against the contractor, which may include license suspension or revocation, within 60 days of receipt of a referral or complaint from the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS).
Subsections within Labor Code Section 3099 clearly state that certification by DAS is required for anyone who performs work as an electrician for C-10 Electrical contractors. DAS is required by Labor Code Section 3099.2 to report violations to CSLB.
Electricians are defined as all persons who engage in the connection of electrical devices for C-10 contractors. It is CSLB’s position that electrical work must be performed by a certified electrician or an approved apprentice. Trenching, concrete, framing, and other work that does not involve connecting electrical devices may be performed by noncertified workers.
Questions regarding this CSLB enforcement policy should be directed to Brian Gedney (916) 255-4435.
Energy UPgrade California - are we ready?
The websites you see here are part of a statewide program to provide one-stop-shopping for energy reduction and renewable. There will be $10,000,000 spent around the first of the year to introduce this program to the public. They have focused in on what is holding back consumers and overcome the obstacles.
We have to be ready.
The Contractors need to be in this program, on this website and have employees with the required certifications. We have reached out to the Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC Contractors Associations but have not found any interest. The Unions are interested and will have to work one-on-one with the various mechanical and allied trades contractors in the area to get as many contractors onboard as possible.
Solano County also has an effort to create green jobs through projects and has formally combined into the Solano Green Business Council. This group has a very diverse background that includes labor… all of labor… union and open shops. These efforts start with residential and then work up to commercial.
If we are saying we do this work then we better be trained and have certified contractors to do this work. Otherwise, anyone can go to these websites and pull up the contractors that ARE DOING the work and see the cold hard facts. Again, the burden is on us to get the contractors onboard.
Is now the time for you to get a contractors license and go after this work?
The Travis Unified School District Governing Board is seeking and encouraging applicants for one vacancy on the Board for Trustee Area No. 1 (Travis Air Force Base). Qualified persons must be at least 18 years of age, registered to vote in California, and must reside on Travis Air Force Base. Eligible applicants will be interviewed and an appointment made by board action during a special board meeting on December 7, 2010. The appointee will be seated until the next regularly scheduled board election of November 8, 2011.
There are TWO vacant planning commissioner seats available in Vacaville due to the election of Mitch Mashburn and the resignation of Dan Broadwater. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dan for his years of dedicated service on behalf of the citizens of Vacaville. If you know of anyone interested please let me know.
Jon Riley
Executive Director
Napa/Solano Central Labor Council
SOLANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE GREEN TRAINING NEWS
Solano Community College will offer an introduction to the following Green Technologies and Concepts:
Green and/or Sustainable Background, Construction Types, Skills, Disciplines and Phases, Project Management Concepts and Responsibilities, Energy and Environmental Concerns, Realities, and Fundamentals, Current and Future Energy Demands, Reserves and Alternatives, Green and/or Sustainable Design, Construction, Rehab and or Development, Green Materials and Resources, Retrofits and Energy Efficiency Technology, Principles and Methodology, Water Efficient Building and Retrofits, Water Conservation and Efficiency, Solar Hot Water Installation and Design Principles, Solar Electricity Installation and Design Principles (Residential & Commercial), Indoor Environmental Quality, Green Entrepreneurial Training.
This program is targeted to assist Veterans and unemployed persons in Solano County by providing an opportunity for Students to pursue professions and employment in the emerging Green Economy. Eligibility requirements for enrollment:
1. Must be 18 years or older
2. Right to work in the United States
3. Males must have Selective Service Registration
4. A valid Driver's license or ID card
5. Social Security Account number or Certification of Report of Birth.
The Fall semester is underway and they are planning and scheduling the 2011 Spring semester that will includes the following certification classes:
HERS II (needed for state rebate programs)
BPI Building Analyst (needed for state rebate programs)
Program Contact Info:
Andy Trotter, Green Education Program Manager
E-mail: trottatj@aol.com
Phone Number: (707) 480-9507
Is Sustainability a fad?
Infineon Raceway announced a New Sustainability Initiative and will install new dual sided, solar-powered LED display board along Highway 37.
Over 1,600 solar panels will be installed at the raceway to provide over forty percent of the raceway’s overall energy usage. The installation will take only three months. Who cares if it is a fad as long as it saves energy and creates jobs!
The cities of Dixon and Benicia are moving forward on sustainability projects that will reduce the operational cost of government.
These projects are created by motivated people spending a lot of time and human energy. They are not found on the bidder services or on the internet.
Once a person receives the training they see the opportunities and start proposing projects. As we said for years, the opportunities are the exiting customer base waiting for you to show the them how to save green—the green that says “In God We Trust” on it!
Upcoming Meetings Events & Holidays: REGULAR MEETING 7 P.M. SECOND THURSDAY B-B-Q - 5 P.M. ONLY ON BLOOD DRIVES RETIREES MEETING FIRST WEDNESDAY @ 12:30 P.M. E-BOARD MEETING 6 P.M. FOURTH TUESDAY EXAM BOARD MEETING 6 P.M. By appointment |
Dan Broadwater, Business Manager
UNION BUILT MEANS BETTER BUILT
You want a “ no-worry” electrical system installed in your home safe, reliable and guaranteed. Then you need an electrical system installed by a union electrical contractor. That’s right– UNION! A competent union electrical contractor who employs qualified IBEW union electricians.
Each IBEW journeyman learns the trade through a 3 to 5 year Apprenticeship program. This extensive training combines on–the-job practical experience with classroom theory and testing. And the training doesn’t stop there. Continuing education constantly up-dates the union electrician’s skills through programs sponsored by the IBEW and NECA.
| 12/06/2010 |
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