Way back in 1974, when I was employed by Wm. Zeigler & Son, I attended my first LCCA monthly business meeting. Don Hughes was Executive VP of the company at the time so I generally found it in my best interest to pay attention to his suggestions. He "suggested" to me one day that I should plan to attend this Thursday evening meeting with him. I began to attend on a regular basis and Don always made sure to "suggest" that I introduce myself to potential business contacts at the meetings.

Don Henderson and Roger Vignocchi were among the first people I met and today I find that I’m still doing business with their companies.

Participation in the activities of this Association provides opportunities for networking and growth that are almost impossible to find anywhere else. Attendance at the monthly business meeting offers the chance to see over one hundred people who are deeply involved in this industry. There is no better opportunity for the young, up-and-coming people in our companies to talk face to face with clients, competitors, subcontractors, and vendors than on the fourth Thursday of each month.

I’m asking you to help someone in your company the same way that Don Hughes helped me. Grab one of the aggressive young people in your office and bring them to the next meeting with you. Introduce them to one or two people whom they should know. It will help them along their career track and help them to feel more valued within your company.

I think you’ll find that it will also help your business as new relationships begin to form that will lead to future opportunities for your company. Why not give it a try?

 The Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Association and LCCA have one common goal - to improve transportation in Lake County. Together, we are sponsoring a reception on Thursday, November 11, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Country Squire to showcase the 2005 highway construction program in Lake County and provide an opportunity for you to hear from the transportation leaders in Lake County.

We have invited every Lake County municipality to share their highway program with you. In addition, representatives from IDOT, the Toll Highway Authority and Lake County will be present. This is a great opportunity to meet the decision makers for Lake County’s highway program and pick up leads on future work. Mark the date and plan to attend. To register go to http://www.lcca-il.org/events

The 2004 edition of LCCA’s Holiday Party at the Lincolnshire Marriott is scheduled for Friday, December 3, 2004. If you want to attend one of Lake County’s great parties, put your group together and block out the date. Reservation forms will be in the mail soon. For those who have never attended, this is the best entertainment value in Lake County. Great food, drink, conversation and a show that will knock your socks off!!

This is a great opportunity to entertain employees, clients or other special people while leaving the arrangements (and the headaches) to us! Get your tables together soon. A reservations form will be mailed in the next week or so. Or you can register online at http://www.lcca-il.org/events.

LCCA and the ROICC Great Lakes is sponsoring a Construction Quality Management course on Tuesday, November 2, at the Holiday Inn Gurnee.

The Construction Quality Management Course for Contractors was developed by the Corps of Engineers to help familiarize contractor personnel with the Corps CQM concepts and procedures. The instructor for the course will be Jim Baldwin, Transystems Corp. Please note that this CQM course is required for contractors holding contracts for construction work on any Navy project. It is also recommended for subcontractors doing work for the Navy. If the general you are working for is expected to comply, you will, too! Better to know in advance just how you will be affected.

The certificate presented upon successful completion of this course is good for five years on all Navy and COE projects. CQ Managers must have a current certificate. Students will be required to pass a written test at the end of the seminar to receive the certification. To register go to http://www.lcca-il.org/events

LCCA will once again sponsor a trade show for Associate and Supplier members in conjunction with the Annual Meeting on November 18 at Midlane Golf Resort. Last year we had 25 exhibitors and the event was a great success. Space is limited for the show and last year’s exhibitors will have first choice to participate.

Participation forms have been mailed. If you wish to be a part of this event, start making your plans now and get your Participation Forms in as soon as possible. For more information, call Sheila at (847) 623-2345.

For members who are thinking of attending, just two words, FREE DRINKS! So mark your calendar and don’t miss the November Membership Meeting, November 18 at Midlane Golf Resort.

Applications are now available for the Construction Industry Service Corporation’s (CISCO) 2005 Joseph Sullivan Memorial Scholarship competition. The $2,000 grant---which can be renewed three times for a grand total of $8,000---will be awarded in February of 2005. All children of CISCO members are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must be high school seniors, provisionally accepted into an undergraduate degree program at a four-year accredited college, and citizens of the United States. Additionally, the candidate must be a child of a member of a building trades union or a non-bargaining unit employee of a union contractor that is affiliated with CISCO. All contractor members of LCCA would be considered a "CISCO Member".

Every applicant will be required to submit an official application form, two personal references, an official transcript of all high school records and official ACT and/or SAT test results.

Applications can be obtained by: calling (630-472-9411); faxing (630-472-9413); writing (616 Enterprise Dr., Suite 100, Oak Brook, IL 60523); or e-mailing your request to CISCO at sam@cisco.org . Completed applications, along with all required materials, must be returned to CISCO by February 11, 2005.

LCCA offers congratulations to Martin C. Umlauf on his election as President/Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters. We look forward to working with Marty in his new leadership role.

Marty Umlauf was initiated into the Brotherhood on December 3, 1969, and was elected Business Representative of Local 54 in December 1978. As a member of Local 54, Mr. Umlauf has provided leadership, holding the offices of Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice President.

In March 1994, President Umlauf was appointed District Council Business Representative and subsequently elected as Second Vice President of the District Council in December 2003. Mr. Umlauf was sworn in as President/Executive Secretary-Treasurer on July 22, 2004, succeeding President Earl J. Oliver after his untimely death. In addition to the office of President/Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Mr. Umlauf is currently serving in the office of President of Local 54.

Prior to being sworn in as President, Mr. Umlauf’s primary duty at the District Council was the Jurisdictional Department. Assuming this office was a totally unexpected honor. Mr. Umlauf declares, "I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead of me, and I am truly fortunate to have a great staff to assist me. I will miss my good friend and colleague Earl J. Oliver, but will --- in his tradition --- work diligently to improve the lives of our members, and their families."

Mr. Umlauf has a rich tradition in the Brotherhood. His father Charles is a 57-year member of Local 13. Martin’s father and his mother Bessie have been married for more than 63 years. Martin, who has been married to Geri, his wife of 33 years, has two daughters: Lesley, married to Dave Tomah, and Shannon, whose husband is Steve Kudia. Shannon and Steve have one son, Ryan Martin.

The Regional Council of Carpenters serves a membership of 47,000 members in 81 counties throughout Southern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, and Eastern Iowa.

For those signatory to the RCEC/Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Collective Bargaining Agreements, this is a reminder that the residential wage and fringe benefit rates change October 1st.

Cook, Lake, DuPage Counties
Wage: $34.32 - Fringes: $11.02 - Tot Pkg: $45.34

Kane, Kendall, McHenry Counties
Wage: $33.92 - Fringes: $11.02 - Tot Pkg: $44.94

Will County
Wage: $33.65 - Fringes: $11.69 -Tot Pkg: $45.34

After months of discussion, MARBA has reached a tentative agreement with the Technical Engineers for a one-year agreement which will increase wages and fringes by $2.77 per hour with all but $.50 per hour going to fringes. Increases are retroactive to June 1, 2004. The new rates are as follows:

Layout Technician Journeyman:	$33.50
Licensed Land Surveyor:	34.50
Layout Technician (Foreman):	34.50
Instrument Man:	26.30
Rodman:	17.80
Welfare Fund:	6.25
Pension:	3.20
Training:	.15
Industry Advancement:	.04
Chicagoland Construction Safety Council:	.01
401(k):	(1.50)
Dues Deduction:	(.32)

Total Benefits: $9.65
Total Package: $43.15

The main language change is the addition of "Occupational Jurisdiction." The expired agreement had very little in the contract to specify just what was covered by the agreement. Traditionally, the agreement has only been used for building layout - and usually only in Chicago and Cook County. The agreement does, however, cover Cook, Lake and DuPage Counties.

The new jurisdiction mentions buildings, but includes "as well as the placing of common control lines and grades as required for the multiple craft tradesman for the installation of public and private works." And in the following "examples of this work" they include:

• drainage, sewerage and water treatment plants
• pump stations
• lift stations
• gas transmission and service lines
• subways and tunnels
• underground storage tanks
• machinery, process lines and equipment
• utilities
• structural elements
• road, street, gutters and parking areas
• site preparation/grading

The Operating Engineers, Local 150 has negotiated a landscape agreement with the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA) - and advised MARBA that MARBA members would be required to use only landscape subcontractors signatory to the Addendum. But MARBA disagrees.

The ILCA Agreement is a joint Operating Engineers/Teamsters 703 contract covering "plantsmen, equipment mechanics, shop helpers, truck drivers, mechanics and helpers." It says "the good faith expectation of the parties that the Employer will employ approximately 60% of the workforce with those classifications assigned to Local 703 and 40% to those assigned to Local 150..."

The wages and fringes provided for are very reasonable. Currently a Local 150 Plantsman will earn $13.25, a Local 703 Truck Driver will receive $15.00 per hour. Insurance benefits are provided but vary in price and some classification (water truck operator and Landscape Helper) are excluded from coverage!

The agreement covers 23 counties in Illinois, 14 counties in Indiana and 7 in Iowa.

This will certainly create more jurisdictional problems. If you are approached by Local 150 to hire "signatory" contractors, please contact the LCCA Office.

The MARBA Board of Directors has approved an amendment to the Bricklayers agreement that will adjust the fringe benefit payments for Local 27 ONLY. The agreement will shift $.30 from the Health & Welfare to Pension making the new contributions as follows:

Health & Welfare $5.35 per hour
Pension $3.89

The change is retroactive to June 1, 2004. Just a reminder this only applies to Bricklayers Local 27.

Teamsters Local 705 has decided on the distribution of the $1.55 increase. It is as follows:

Wages $ .95
Health/Welfare .45
Pension .15

The new rates are effective as of June 1, 2004.

The Workers Compensation Reform bill, HB 805, has been bombarded by so much misinformation, it is hard to tell fact from fiction. Originally, we were told that the bill, which is 90 pages long, removed the caps - not true. We were told that there would be $130 million in medical savings - probably not true. We were told that Illinois medical payments per claim were 2nd highest of 12 states studied. What they did not mention is the other states in this study were mostly in the South and all but California and Massachusetts have a much lower cost of living!

So what is really at issue? At the recent ICIC Board Meeting, experts representing both sides of the issue were brought together to sort out the facts and see just what the impact might be. Dave Buckman, CORE Construction, seemed to be the most informed of anyone at the table regarding construction impact. He suggested the cap was not an issue since it was not being removed. He did say, however, the current cap (which is 100% of the states average wage or $550.47) has not been recomputed in a while and could rise to as much as $700. Therefore the cap would still be on, but just higher if the rate is updated.

Other issues, such as higher penalties for companies who do not carry Workers Comp Insurance and raising the PPD rate to 66 2/3% of the employee’s weekly wage would have no impact.

But there is a price to pay. According to ICIC, the following are the key issues for contractors:

• Including overtime in the calculation of "average weekly wage"
• Increasing penalties for failure to respond to a demand for payment, even though the delay may be justified
• In cases of partial incapacitation, the bill would increase the maximum weekly compensation to 133% of the maximum week rate from the current 100%.

Stay tuned! The bill will be called in the veto session this November, according to Sen. Terry Link, the bill’s sponsor. ICIC is now on record supporting some modifications in the bill before passage. And we have told Sen. Link that the next time, the construction industry should be included in negotiations.

Several LCCA members have stepped up to the plate to help Lake County Partners bring more business to Lake County. Contributors include:

• Jos. J. Henderson & Son
• Camosy, Inc.
• Campanella & Sons, Inc.
• Air Con Refrigeration & Heating
• Terra Cotta Truck Service
• Curran Contracting
• Green Mechanical
• Manusos General Contracting
• MK Industries
• Northern Illinois Mack
• Osmond Insurance
• Scott Pacatte Concrete Cutters
• Jack Frost Ironworks

It is never too late to help those who are dedicated to improving your market. We would still appreciate your contribution. Just send your check made out to Lake County Partners to the LCCA Office.

 LCCA is please to announce the launching of LCCA’s new Safety Page. Located in the "Members Only" section, the web page will provide:

• A Hot Topics page to highlight current safety issues.
• "Ask the Expert" bulletin board where LCCA Safety Professionals will answer your questions about safety issues.
• Order instructions and forms for any LCCA video for your safety meetings. Titles and descriptions will be included.
• Training schedules, course descriptions and training requirements.
• An archive of Safety News to find past articles that might be of interest.
• Toolbox Talks that can be downloaded as you need them.
• Links to many safety websites that can provide valuable information.

To view the page, go to http://www.lcca-il.org and click on the Members Only button. If you do not know the login and password, call the LCCA Office.