Greetings!
Welcome to the February 2009 edition of the Electrical Contractors' Association newsletter LiveWire.
We
are pleased to announce the official launch of the Ours To Protect
program. You can learn more about this industry information
website at www.ourstoprotect.com and from the article in this edition of LiveWire.
Also,
Please check out the upcoming events that are listed in this newsletter
on the right. There is a lot to do this year and we've only just
begun.
Thanks for taking the time to read this edition of the ECA newsletter LiveWire.
Please feel free to forward this email to those in your company who
might benefit. Also, please invite your co-workers and associates
to join our email list by selecting the link at the bottom of this
newsletter.
Stay with us from month-to-month. There is much more to come.
Best regards,
ECA Chicago
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OURS TO PROTECT Officially Launched
The "Ours to Protect"
website was formally launched on January 14, 2008 to inform signatory electrical contractors about the  reason for the website and the informational effort. As stated on the home page of the website "Ours to
Protect is an effort by a group of concerned unionized electrical contractor
business owners in the Chicago and Cook County, Illinois region to gather
information from related areas around the country, evaluate the historical
implications of how these areas have lost and gained market share, and  report
these findings in a factual and unbiased manner for consideration by our
audience." We invite you to
review the "Ours to Protect" website at
www.ourstoprotect.com. We also invite you to participate in the online survey and OTP blog.
(pictured at left is Eric Nixon presenting OTP)
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INTECH Apprentice Graduation Ceremony
The IBEW/NECA Technical Institute (INTECH) Apprentice Graduation was held on Saturday,
January 10, 2009. The event was held at
Navy Pier's Grand Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois.
The over 160 apprentices celebrated their becoming journeymen at this
ceremony. The evening's highlights
included the following: several
presentations by industry leaders, awards, a fine dinner and the floor was open
for dancing afterwards. The speakers and
a summation of their remarks include the following: Timothy Foley, Local Union #134, IBEW
Business Manager commented that not only should the graduates be congratulated,
but their families and INTECH staff for their support. He hoped that the new graduates would put
their knowledge to good use in the field to become highly productive journeymen. Brad
Weir, Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) President
congratulated the graduates and offered them various market scenarios to
consider with the ever-changing industry.
He encouraged them to be vigilant in pursuit of further education. He emphasized that they are in control and
they can apply positive steps to enhance not only their work ethic but to be
good examples to others in the industry that will only benefit all in the
future.  Thomas Villanova, Chicago &
Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council President thanked the
graduates for their continued efforts throughout their years of study and field
work. He also thanked the families, the
instructors, the contractors, the Business agents and other supporters of the
industry for their positive impact on the graduates. He reminded the graduates that they truly are
the future of the industry.
(pictured above are the 2009 INTECH Graduation Presenters)
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Project Awareness Program
The Electrical Contractors'
Association of City of Chicago (ECA) has been an active participant with the
Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce's (CCC's) "Project Awareness" Conference. The ECA is a member of the CCC's
Technical Assistance (TA) Committee, which
consists of numerous governmental agencies, private construction firms and
construction trade associations. The CCCTA Committee
is coordinating their 14th Annual "Project Awareness" Conference. The event brings together dozens of public
and private entities in regard to forthcoming bidding opportunities in the Chicago
Metropolitan Area. The program is scheduled
for Thursday, February 26, 2009 at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S.
Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois from 9:00
AM - 1:00 PM. You may contact the ECA
for registration information at: (708)
531-0022.
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New City of Chicago Building Commissioner
The City of Chicago
Department of Buildings (DOB) recently welcomed a new Commissioner. The City
Council of Chicago approved the appointment of Mr. Richard Monocchio during the
December 17, 2008 Council meeting.
Commissioner Monocchio had been the Acting Commissioner for over
half-a-year. He has considerable work
experience in the DOB, as well as in housing areas. He has worked in the following areas prior
to the Chicago Department of Buildings which include the following: Department of Construction and Permits,
Chicago Department of Housing, Chicago Airport System, Chicago Housing
Authority, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, among other
areas. The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago looks
forward to working with Commissioner Monocchio.
The Association anticipates welcoming the Commissioner as a guest speaker
at a future ECA Membership Meeting.
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ECA and OSHA Alliance
In late December, the Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA)
Safety Committee signed a formal Alliance with the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA). Through
the Alliance Program, OSHA works with groups committed to safety health,
including businesses, trade or professional organizations, unions and
educational institutions, to leverage resources and expertise to develop
compliance assistance tools and resources and share information with employers
and employees to help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the
workplace.
There are many benefits
to participating in an Alliance with OSHA. The agreements, which are signed for
two years, help organizations to:build
trusting, cooperative relationships with the Agency, network with others
committed to workplace safety and health, leverage resources to maximize worker
safety and health protection and gain recognition as proactive leaders in
safety and health.
The Alliance Program
supports OSHA's strategic areas of emphasis by addressing the plan's
occupational trends, emerging issues and the Agency's priorities. There are few
formal program requirements for Alliances and the agreements do not include an
enforcement component. However, OSHA and the participating organizations must
define, implement and meet a set of short and long-term goals that fall into
three categories: 1)Training and Education, such as
developing training and education programs and seminars aimed at reducing
workplace hazards, providing the OSHA Training Institute with educational and
training materials on specific safety issues upon request, and providing peer
review of OSHA training curricula; 2) Outreach and Communication, such as
sharing the most up-to-date ergonomic information for educational purposes,
promoting participation in OSHA's cooperative programs, and providing
information in Spanish and other languages; and 3) Promoting the National
Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health, by sharing data on safety and health
hazards, participating in various forums and groups to discuss ways of
improving workplace safety and health programs, and demonstrating the
effectiveness of safety and health programs.
OSHA
and the Alliance participants form implementation teams. The
teams, consisting of representatives from OSHA and the organizations,
are responsible for developing stratigies and implementing programs or
processes that meet the defined goals. Current Alliances have
developed a number of products and undertaken many activities,
including: assisting OSHA in developing interactive, web-based
training tools on occupational safety and health topics; helping
develop Safety and Health Topics pages; appearing at trade shows and
conferences.
The ECA Safety Committee is excited to be a participant with the new
ECA and OSHA Alliance. ECA members will be updated on the
Alliance efforts and progress.
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Standard Mileage Rate for 2009
The standard mileage rate to be used for 2009 in computing deductible
costs of operating a passenger automobile are as follows: Business Use:
$0.55/mile, Charitable Use:
$0.14/mile and Medical and Moving:
$0.24/mile. Under the annual
lease valuation method for computing the value of the personal use of an
employer provided automobile, you must include the cost of gasoline at the rate
of $0.055/mile for 2009.
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NECA Value Added Incentives
Three companies have stepped up their involvement in supporting the
electrical construction industry. Each
has made a multi-year commitment as NECA sponsors at the highest level. As Premier Partners of NECA, Graybar,
Milwaukee Electric Tool and Westex, Inc. will showcase their brands, products
and services to the industry through NECA events, publications and digital
platforms year-round, including the NECA Show.
The companies are doing various promotions geared toward NECA
members. For example, Milwaukee Electric
Tool will donate 10% of all purchases made on the new M18 tools to that
contractor's local NJATC. The purchases
must be made by 3/31/09 and receipts must be reported to Milwaukee Electric
Tool. You can visit these websites for
further information: www.graybar.com, www.milwaukeetool.com, www.westexinc.com, www.necanet.org.
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EISP Scholarships
The applications for the 2009
Electrical Industry Scholarships are now available. A total of two scholarships will be awarded
in the amount of $5,000.00 per year for up to four years for the individual's
undergraduate degree. To be eligible,
applicants must be children of Local Union #134 members who are in good
standing and working under the Principal, Communication or Residential
Agreements. Children of deceased members
may also be eligible to apply.
Applicants must be high school graduates who are registered in a college
or university field of study directly related to the electrical industry.
An independent Selection Committee comprised of members of academia will
make the award selections. If you're
interested in participating in the Electrical Industry Scholarship Program
(EISP), please send a letter requesting an EISP application form to: EISP, c/o Timothy Foley, Business Manager,
Local Union #134, IBEW, 600 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Illinois 60661. Upon verification of your eligibility, the
EISPAdministrator
will send an EISPapplication form to you. Applications along with all other required
documents must be postmarked by February 28, 2009 to be considered for the Fall
2009/Spring 2010 Electrical Industry Scholarships.
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| November 2008 Industry Statistics
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2007 |
2008 |
Number of Contractors
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921 |
887 |
| Journeymen & Apprentices Employed |
11,690 |
11,245 |
| Monthly Hours Worked |
1,389,221 |
1,362,236 |
| Cumulative Hours Worked for Period |
15,599,590 |
15,775,116 |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
February 6, 2009
O'Hare Modernization Program
(OMP) Opening Bid date for
Addendum #2 for FedEx Cargo
Facility Relocation
www.cityofchicago.org/purchasing.
February 7, 2009
Electric Golf Annual Dinner Dance
Westin Hotel - Itasca
February 11, 2009
ECA Regular Membership Meeting
Maggiano's Banquets Oak Brook, IL
February 17 - 19, 2009
Chicagoland Construction Safety
Council Safety Conference
Donald E. Stephens Convention
Center Rosemont, IL
March 11, 2009
ECARegular Membership Meeting
Itasca CC. Itasca, IL
March 16 - May 26, 2009
EPS I Program
Holiday Inn Oak Brook Hotel Oakbrook Terrace, IL
March 22 - 25, 2009
NECADistrict 4
&7
Midwest Regional Conference
Grand Hyatt Kauai Kauai, Hawaii
April 8, 2009
ECARegular Membership Meeting
Harry Caray's Restaurant Chicago, IL
May 13, 2009
ECA Regular Membership Meeting
The Clubhouse Restaurant Oak Brook, IL
May 18 - 21, 2009
ECABasic Electrical Estimating
Workshop
Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook, IL
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We Need Your Comments
The
Association urges all members to utilize the many resources that are available on-line
at the ECAwebsite. We hope that the nformation provided will help you better
run your business, by helping you become aware of what's new in the marketplace
not only in the Chicagoans area, but nationwide.
Available
in the On-Line Resources section of the
ECA Website is the Equipment & Material
Member Exchange. Visit the "Member's Only" section and unlock all the
features provided to ECA members.
The Events area of the site is constantly being updated. Please view the calendar for upcoming educational
programming, as this dynamic is ever-changing.
We hope that you will take advantage of the on-line surveys, polls, etc.
Your participation will assist in the development of future programs offered by
the Association.
Please let us know how we're doing and send your
comments via e-mail. Visit the "Contact Us"
portion of the website.
We look forward to your visit to: www.ecachicago.com.
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