The summer months are traditionally thought of as the busiest time of the year for most of us in the construction industry. As a result, most industry associations suspend the regular monthly meetings during this time. This might lead some folks to believe that it’s a “slow time” for our Association. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Our Boards and Committees continue to meet on their regular schedules. Two of our major social events of the year also happen during this time. The Program Committee, as always, is doing a spectacular job of putting these events together. We just attended the Cubs-Brewers game during the July 4th holiday weekend and now it’s time for the golf outing.

The ball game was a sellout and, even though the Cubs lost, we all had a great time. An adequate supply of burgers, brats, and beer helped us keep our spirits up. Micky Day, DK Contractors, not only took the lead in the planning, but also allowed us to use DK’s parking lot as one of the pickup points for bus transportation to the game. Thanks, Micky.

The annual golf outing is only 1 week away. I want to take this opportunity to thank Scott Nelson, H. H. Holmes Testing for his efforts. Every year Scott puts a superhuman effort into this event and every year it’s a huge success. Thanks, Scott.

In September when we resume our normal meeting schedule we will be having our first-ever joint meeting with the Tri-County Contractors Association. This is yet another example of the creativity and imagination of the Program Committee. Keep up the good work!

I also want to acknowledge the Association Staff for their hard work and dedication. Sheila and Lisa were both gracious enough to give up one day of their July 4th weekend to make sure everything worked out at the ballgame. I’m sure they could have found other ways to spend their holiday rather than counting heads on the buses to make sure we didn’t leave anyone at the ballpark. The entire staff also has a very busy and very long day at the golf course making sure everything is up to “par”. Thanks Gary, Sheila, and Lisa.

And finally, thanks to all of you who continue to participate in the activities of the Association. Your support of these events drives us to try to constantly improve and to make each event even better than the last. Thank You!

The golf outing is just a week away and we will have about 300 this year at Countryside Golf Course. There is still space available for last minute golfers. Call the LCCA Office for more information.

Every year we owe a special thanks to the many members who sponsor the outing, helping to hold costs down for everybody who plays. This year's sponsors include:

BEER TENTS:

Waukegan Roofing

Blue Book

H.H. Holmes Testing Laboratories

HOLE IN ONE:

Anthony Pontiac/Buick/GMC

Bank of Waukegan

HOLE SPONSORS:

Acme Brick & Supply Company

T.J. Adams Group, LLC

Advanced Drainage Systems

Aldridge Electric, Inc.

Avalon Petroleum Company

Boncosky Oil Company

Bornquist, Inc.

Burris Equipment Company

Camosy, Inc.

Chicago LECET

Chicago Title Insurance Company

Construction Industry Service Corporation

Curran Contracting Company

D. L. Franzen Construction, Inc.

Lance Construction Supplies

McCann Industries, Inc.

McClure Engineering

McGladrey & Pullen, LLP

Meyer Material

Multiple Concrete Accessories

National Concrete Pipe Co.

Northern Illinois Mack, Inc.

W.B. Olson, Inc.

Palatine Oil Co., Inc.

Patten Construction Products

Ernie Peterson Plumbing, Inc.

Repair Service Corporation

Sunset Cartage

Thelen Sand & Gravel

Turner Construction Company

Vulcan Construction Materials

MISCELLANEOUS SPONSORS

Blue Boy Portable Toilets, Inc. - Porta Potties

Skokie Valley/Wheeling Reproductions - Signs & Banners

The destination is set and the LCCA Party Plane will be heading for the Royal Hideaway Resort in Playacar, Mexico on January 7, 2005, for a 5-day, 4-night trip. According to Mike Ryan, Meyer Material Company, Chair of the Mini Workshop, “This resort is rated the #1 All-Inclusive Resort in Mexico.” And you can go for just $1,625 per person.

This is the second time LCCA has journeyed to this property and everybody who went the last time said it was an incredible experience - and they owed almost nothing at the end of the trip! When they say "All-Inclusive" they mean it. The package includes meals in one of five distinctive restaurants, unlimited “premium” alcoholic beverages, and many activities to keep you busy.

As in past years, this trip is not only for the soul, but also for the mind. We have two seminars planned to keep you abreast of the changing construction landscape. What a great escape from the cold Chicago winter. Sign up today. You may register on-line at http://www.lcca-il.org/events.

The Illinois Construction Industry Committee (ICIC) has scheduled their next Board Meeting in Lake County at the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort. The meeting will be on September 21 beginning at 10:30 a.m. and should conclude about 1:00 p.m. According to LCCA’s ICIC Board Member, Lyle Ehlers, Boller Construction Company, “We expect representatives from contractor associations from around the state to join up at this meeting. It is now that we begin planning for next year's legislative campaign.”

One of the major topics of discussion will be Workers Comp. If you are interested in legislation that impacts construction in general or Workers Comp in particular, you are welcome to join in. Seating will be limited.

This year’s Membership Recruitment Contest was one of the most successful ever. Under the leadership of Chairman Mike Henderson, Jos. J. Henderson & Son, and team captains Steve Dalbec, Jos. J. Henderson & Son, and Gerry Dumalski, Boller Construction Company, the Membership Committee exceeded their goals this year ending the year with 42 new members bringing the total membership up to 271! Each year, teams are selected to compete for recognition and prizes. After some high-powered negotiations at the end of the campaign, the contest ended in a tie. This year's contest theme was “Casino Wars,” so LCCA took the committee and the new members they brought in to lunch at the Grand Victoria Riverboat in Elgin and distributed $800 in chips as prize money.

Our thanks to the following committee members who sponsored new members:

Mike DeNinno, Lake County Grading - 14 new members

Steve Dalbec, Jos. J. Henderson & Son - 4 new members

Gerry Dumalski, Boller Construction Co.- 4 new members

Joe Henderson, Jos. J. Henderson & Son - 3 new members

Rick Nielsen, W.B. Olson - 2 new members

Scott Nelson, H.H. Holmes Testing - 2 new members

Craig Jones, Blue Boy Portable Toilets - 2 new members

Mike Ryan, Meyer Material Company - 2 new members

Mike Henderson, Jos. J. Henderson & Son - 2 new members

Karen Johnson, Roughneck Concrete Drilling & Sawing - 1 new member

Karen Vignocchi, Keno Construction - 1 new member

Ken Coslet, Terra Cotta Truck Service - 1 new member

Bud Manusos, Manusos General Contracting - 1 new member

Pat Kirschhoffer, Kirschhoffer Truck Service - 1 new member

Dave Culligan, Althoff Industries - 1 new member

Skip McCann, Dam, Snell & Taveirne - 1 new member

Other Committee Members who are already working on next year’s recruits include:

Jim Drost, T.J. Adams Group

Rick Grabowski, Pickus Construction & Equipment

Glenn Peterson, Ernie Peterson Plumbing

Rob Schoen, Thelen Sand & Gravel

Tim Staples, Camosy, Inc.

Ed Stuckey, Stuckey Construction

Mike Temple, Mechanical, Inc.

Frank Ziccarelli, Vacala Construction

Effective June 1, 2004, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is requiring bidders on IDOT non-federally funded projects to submit copies of Apprenticeship and Training Certifications with their bid. Bids submitted without the required “Certifications” will be declared “non-responsive” and will not be read.

This information is to provide evidence that the contractor is participating in an approved, applicable apprenticeship and training program as required by the recent passage of Public Act 93-0642 - better known as the “Responsible Bidder Act.” (HB 3048). MARBA has contacted apprenticeship programs and obtained Certificates of Registration for the Carpenters, Cement Masons Local 502, Laborers and Operating Engineers. The LCCA Office has copies of the Certifications. If you need copies, just contact the LCCA Office.

Don’t ask us what you do for Teamsters, who have no apprenticeship program. We have not a clue. This is just one more instance where a “good idea” gets out of hand when politicians try to apply it to “everybody.” If you have questions, we would recommend that you call Jim Duncan at IDOT - (217) 782-7806.

By the way, this is a bill ICIC fought but the unions made this a primary issue and the Democrats felt obligated to pass it.

Negotiations are coming to a close and many new agreements are in place. What is becoming obvious is we are losing ground in our fight to remain competitive. Here are the facts for the 22 contracts we follow covering Lake County:

• Increases from 1999 through 2004 averaged 4.74%
• The CPI for the same period averaged 2.20%
• Ironworkers Local 63 tops the chart with an average increase of 5.81% per year during the period.
• They are followed by the Laborers with 5.4% per year increase.
• And, of the trades with the largest average increases, 6 of the top 10 are MARBA agreements. Only MARBA’s Bricklayers and Teamsters did not make the top half.

During this period, the average Wage/Fringe package rose from $36.05 to $45.41 per hour. But what of the future?

• The recent Carpenters agreement will provide increases of 5.84% in 2005, 6.25% in 2006 and 6.37% in 2007.
• Bricklayers get a 6.14% increase next year.
• Painters are looking forward to 5.1% in 2005, 4.32% in 2006 and 5.04% in 2007.
• But the Tile Layers take the prize so far. Next year they get an 8.21% increase followed by 5.49% in 2006.
• In 2003 we saw the first $50/hr. package. In 2004 we had 3 contracts over $50. In 2005, we already have 3, and 7 contracts remain to be negotiated - 4 of those contracts are within $2.50 of the $50 level.

Some would say that it does not matter what we pay in wages and fringes we'll just pass it along to the consumer. According to Dodge Construction Potentials, 2003 total construction volume in the Chicagoland area was down 10% from 2002. Non-residential construction volume dropped 20%!

Is business just not expanding? Is the area overbuilt? Either is a possibility, but as the Lake County Partners has found, we compete with many areas in the US and even more countries in the world for the same business - and when a company has a choice, why would they pick an area where construction costs are soaring?

Ceramic Tile Layers & Finishers, Local 67 - A new three-year agreement will provide the following increases:

Tile Setters - 2004: $2.00, 2005: $3.45, 2006: $2.50

Helpers – 2004: $1.75, 2005: $3.00, 2006: $2.15

The agreement also included some contract modifications including post accident drug testing, increases in fringe benefit bonds and penalties for failure to pay benefits.

Sheetmetal Workers - The Sheetmetal Workers have agreed to a new three-year agreement that provides the following:

June 1, 2004 - $1.80

December 1, 2004 - $ .75

June 1, 2005 - $2.55

June 1, 2006 - $2.65

Plasterers Local 11-362 (Lake County)- The Plasterers Local 11-362 has agreed to a new three-year agreement that provides the following:

June 1, 2004 - $2.40

June 1, 2005 - $2.60

June 1, 2006 - $2.75

Plasterers Local 5 (Cook, Dekalb, Kane, Kendall, McHenry, Will, Grundy, LaSalle, Livingston)- The Plasterers Local 5 has agreed to a new three-year agreement that provides the following:

June 1, 2004 - $2.40

June 1, 2005 - $2.60

June 1, 2006 - $2.75

The agreement also includes changes to starting time, foreman pay and a clarification on holidays.

The Lake County Contractors Association has signed an Alliance with OSHA establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safer workplaces in Lake County. President Mike Temple, Mechanical, Inc., Safety Committee Chairman Fred Rodheim, Abbott Laboratories, and Diane Turek, Area Director of OSHA’s Chicago North Office signed the agreement.

The Alliance provides that OSHA and the LCCA will work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:

• Develop and disseminate LCCA information through print and electronic media, including electronic tools and links from OSHA's and the LCCA's web sites, along with applicable articles in their print media.
• Provide a forum for OSHA personnel to speak, exhibit or appear at conferences sponsored by the LCCA.
• Promote and encourage members associated with the LCCA to participate in OSHA's compliance assistance, education and outreach programs.

In addition, OSHA and the LCCA will work together to achieve the following goals related to promoting dialogue on workplace safety and health:

• Develop and present a seminar for the LCCA members to be delivered in conjunction with OSHA.
• Organize and provide the necessary resources for the presentation of OSHA's construction course for the organization's members when OSHA and the organization identify the need.
• Promote and encourage members of the LCCA to individually participate in OSHA's cooperative program of compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, Consultation, and SHARP.  In addition, recognize members that aspire to excellence in health and safety for their worksites.
• Disseminate information and guidance in Spanish.
• LCCA will consult with OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals in effective construction safety management practices as jointly determined by OSHA and the LCCA.
• Use the LCCA's newsletters, web site, workshops, meetings, and other resources as vehicles to disseminate OSHA- or LCCA- developed information and guidance on workplace safety issues.
• Encourage the LCCA's members to act as industry liaisons and resources for OSHA's cooperative programs and Compliance Assistance Specialists.
• Raise awareness through speeches and appearances by the LCCA's leaders of safe worksite programs and their commitment to workplace safety and health.
• Explore an OSHA partnership with Lake County Building Trades.

We are looking forward to a productive alliance and increased assistance for LCCA members to meet safety goals.

The LCCA Safety Committee is planning a LCCA Safety Day to be held on Friday, October 8. Chairman Fred Rodheim, Abbott Laboratories, has announced the following speakers have been confirmed for the seminar:

• Bob LoMastro, LoMastro & Associates, will start the day with “Establishing A Safety Culture.” A hands-on approach to getting everybody on the Safety Bandwagon.
• Paul Satti, Chicagoland Construction Safety Council, will discuss managing safety on lifting equipment - boomlifts, scissor lifts, and forklifts.
• Mike Connors, OSHA Region 5 Administrator will be our after lunch speaker and look at OSHA’s “hot buttons.”
• Marty Brands, M.S.A., will tackle “Construction Fall Protection.”

The seminar will be held at Midlane Golf Resort and will feature speakers, a Safety Expo and much more. You may register online at http://lcca-il.org/events LCCA,s website.