The harsh reality has finally set in. My beloved Bears will not be representing the NFC in Super Bowl XXXIX. The last time they did go, there were only two Roman numerals necessary to identify the game. 

I know it’s early in the NBA marathon, but I’m fairly certain we don’t need to worry about the Bulls being the Eastern Conference representative in this year’s finals. 

The Blackhawks? At least their record is just as good as the very best teams in the NHL this year.

It’s amazing to me that pro sports franchises can be so successful on a business level and still be so bad at the business of winning and losing. In our business, the only way we can succeed financially is by putting out a winning effort every single day. The very best hitters in baseball get a hit only one out of every three times they step up to the plate.

When Rex Grossman goes out for the season due to an injury there is an impact on the entire team. The same is true when one of our people is injured on a jobsite.

We need to prepare our teams to do their jobs in a lot of different ways. One thing we can do to make our team better is to provide our people with the best possible training. All of our people need continuous safety training. LCCA offers a number of different safety training programs.

LCCA offers first-class training programs for our field supervisors. These are the guys who are our on-site coaches. We need to give them all the help we can. This training can make them more effective and help to make our companies more profitable.

LCCA also offers an assortment of training opportunities for management. All of these programs are valuable. Do yourself a favor and make this the year that you improve yourself and the people around you through education.

As far as our local sports teams, don’t give up yet. Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Mesa any day now. This just might be the year for the Cubs.

We regret to inform you that Sheila Peterson has resigned from the LCCA staff. Sheila has been a valuable asset for almost 7 years and the front line for member contacts. Her pleasant, joking style will be missed by the hundreds of members whom she called monthly for a variety of meetings.

We will be recognizing her past efforts at the February Membership Meeting. We wish her the very best in the future.

Education Committee Chair Micky Day, DK Contractors, is pleased to announce a special Legal Seminar in March before the March Membership Meeting. Featuring Margery Newman, Ogletree Deakins and Tom Morris, Hinshaw, Culbertson, the dynamic duo will attack the issues of Documenting Change Orders and Mechanics Liens. Both of these subjects are near and dear to contractors – especially in today’s economy.

The seminar will be on Thursday, March 24 at the Country Squire in Grayslake from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. A reservation form is enclosed for your information.

The Lake County Division of Transportation has recognized LCCA Member, Glenbrook Excavating & Concrete, as the “Contractor of the Year”. According to Marty Buehler, Lake County Department of Transportation, the company won the award for their work on the Wilson Road reconstruction project. He cited Glenbrook’s skill in advancing the project given a number of complicating factors including the need to remain sensitive to motorists and residents along the frontage project as the basis for the award.

Congratulations from all of us at LCCA for a well deserved recognition.
 

The LCCA PAC Auction Committee, Chaired by Steve Dalbec, Jos. J. Henderson & Son, is looking for auction items for the PAC Auction scheduled for the April Membership Meeting.

How can you help? Donate auction items and come and bid! If we are going to have an auction, we need auction items. Some you might consider are:

• Construction materials – load of concrete, brick, whatever
• Golf for three or four at a country club or public course
• Sports memorabilia, sports equipment
• Services – accounting, testing, etc.
• Case of wine, good scotch, whiskey, etc.
• Tickets for Bulls, Bears, etc. (no little league – no jokes about the Bears and Bulls!)
• Use of vacation condo
• Anything else you can think of that would be unique
• And if you cannot think of anything else, cash is always acceptable (make checks payable to LCCPAC).

Auction items donated to LCCPAC, like other political contributions, are not tax deductible. Please check with your tax consultant for your specific situation. Donated items must have a value in excess of $150. We would like to have donations by March 24. Cash contributions must be made to LCCPAC.

ICIC will host its Second Annual Construction Industry Legislative Reception on Wednesday, February 23, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Sangamo Club in Springfield, Illinois. Last year over 65 legislators attended the event along with such dignitaries as State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and IEPA Director Renee Cipriano.

ICIC Past President Randy Perau, N.E. Finch Company, Peoria, said of last spring’s event, “It was a great opportunity for legislators to hear our concerns about issues they are currently weighing.” According to LCCA ICIC Representative Lyle Ehlers, Boller Construction, “The turnout from Lake County was great. And we even convinced one Lake County Representative to change her position on a bill that would have severely impacted contractors.”

This year LCCA will be represented by Lyle, Mike Temple, Mechanical, Inc., Steve Dalbec, Jos. J. Henderson & Son and Gary Dowty, LCCA Executive Vice President.

Negotiations for new area construction agreements are starting. Most expiring contracts end on May 31 of this year. The Carpenters is the only MARBA agreement expiring this year but a three year extension has already been negotiated. Other local agreements to be renegotiated this year include:

• Asbestos Workers, Local 17
• Electricians 150 and 134
• Pipefitters 597
• Plumbers 93
• Sheet Metal Workers
• Sprinkler Fitters

Did you know that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Construction is the only goods-producing sector in which employment is projected to grow.
• Construction employs approximately 6.9 million individuals annually.
• 80% of construction firms have fewer than 10 employees, only 1% employ 100 or more and .1% of construction firms employ over 500 individuals.
• The value of construction put in place in 2003 totaled $916 billion representing 8% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GPD).
• From June 2003 to June 2004 construction added 193,000 employees – nearly one out of seven non-farming jobs.

Why choose a job in the construction industry when going to college?

• Continued Shortage of Qualified Personnel – This leads to almost 100% placement and high starting salaries.  National average starting salary for CM majors is $42,000 per year
• Aging work force (avg. 47 yrs. Old) – More jobs than students graduating now and in the future.
• Within next 10 yrs. – 58.5% of jobs in the US will be construction related.
• The construction industry is the second largest employer in the US only next to all government employees including armed forces.
• Motivated graduates can easily move up the management ladder.
• You can choose your work environment inside or outside or both.

Last year Illinois employer groups and labor organizations reached an agreement on a six-year plan to return Illinois’ Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund to solvency. The agreement provides Illinois employers predictability on their UI taxes and avoids more than $1 billion in federal penalties and $250 million in interest penalties. Increases in the taxable wage base from the current $9,800 are as follows:

2005 - $10,500
2006 - $11,000
2007 - $11,500
2008 - $12,000

Last year the Illinois legislature passed a bill to increase the Illinois Minimum wage over the next two years. Effective January 1, 2005, the minimum wage increased to $6.50 per hour.

Carpenters Holiday Pay – There is at least one potential grievance arising out of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day holiday pay issue with the Carpenters Regional Council, MARBA should be advised if there are any other contractors who receive notification from the Carpenters Regional Council regarding this issue.

Crane Association Accepted into MARBA –The membership application of the Chicagoland Crane Association was approved at the Board of Directors meeting.  We welcome them as a member of MARBA and look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship.

Carpenters Contract Extension – An extension approved by MARBA last year has still not been signed by both parties. After the agreement for a three year extension was approved by the MARBA Board, the Carpenters decided  other changes were needed – especially the residency clause which has been ruled illegal.

Paragraph 20.15 in the Carpenters Agreement says, “When EMPLOYER is engaged in work within the geographical jurisdiction of the District Council, not less than 66% of the carpenters employed by such EMPLOYER shall be from among the members of the bargaining unit who are represented by Local Unions within such geographic jurisdiction or counties bordering such geographic jurisdiction.” The Carpenters have suggested language that would require contractors to employee members of the bargaining unit that live in the area covered by the agreement.

Unfortunately, this would be a hardship for many Local 250 members who live in Wisconsin!
MARBA has no obligation to consider any changes and the contract would continue with Paragraph 20.15 being unenforceable. Talks continue.

Operators Want Landscape Jurisdiction – The Operating Engineers, Local 150, have approached MARBA about adding Landscaping to the jurisdiction of the Building Agreement. Talks are going on now. If you have an opinion, please contact the LCCA Office.

The Lake County Board voted Tuesday, January 11 to put a referendum on the April 5th primary election ballot asking voters to approve a ½% increase in the sales tax to fund transportation improvements in Lake County. The resolution was introduced by Diane O’Kelly (Mundelein) and passed 17-4 with only Sandy Cole (Grayslake), Steve Carlson (Gurnee), Anne Bassi (Highland Park), and Audry Nixon (North Chicago) opposing the measure. We were encouraged with the enthusiastic response from the remaining members. Last time they seemed lukewarm. Kerry Biegay, Bank of Waukegan, and Kurt Anderson, IBEW 150, testified in favor of the referendum.

The increase will generate about $450 million in traffic congestion improvements over the next 10 years. The plan presented to the County Board includes 36 miles of road widening, 33 intersections and synchronizing more than 100 traffic signals on the east side of the county.This is in addition to other projects already planned by the state and county. Major projects will include Rt.60 from Vernon Hills to Rt.120, Rt. 45 from Rt. 137 to Rt. 132 and many more.

The Lake County Residents for Traffic Relief (LCRTR) will lead the effort to get the referendum passed. LCCA along with the Illinois Road & Transportation Builders, Lake County Partners (LCP) and the unions are all involved in LCRTR. JoAnne Eckmann, a business owner from Mundelein representing Lake County Partners, and Dave Barger, IBEW 150, are co-chairs of the group.

Due to the timing, this will be the last effort to get this referendum passed for several years. We need to make a special effort to get the job done now. But it will take money. LCCA has committed $25,000 and we and the other proponents are committed to raising at least $200,000 to fund the campaign. You can help by pledging $100, $500, $1,000 or whatever you can afford. Remember, the pot at the end of the rainbow is $450 million in work and billions of additional construction opportunities because of the improved roads. 

To make a pledge, just complete the enclosed form and return to the LCCA Office.

The Fall Veto Session drew to a close on January 11 without action on several key ICIC issues.

The workers compensation reform bill (House Bill 805) that ICIC had diligently worked to amend failed to gain enough support for passage.  In the end, most of the construction industry, including ICIC, opted not to support the measure due to its failure to address some issues that were essential and unique to the construction industry.  Specifically, ICIC had sought to change the definition of “average weekly wage” and to address problems with wage differential claims, along with several other issues.  ICIC appreciates the many hours that Dave Buckman, Core Construction, devoted in an effort to negotiate these issues. 

If workers compensation reform is re-introduced in the future, we are optimistic that an agreement can be reached on our issues if contractors are included in the early stages of the bill drafting process.

No action was taken on ICIC’s Design/Build or Construction Management bills.  The bills will be reintroduced in the Spring legislative session.

One bill that did see action in the veto session was Senate Bill 1994, which passed over significant opposition from ICIC and other business groups.  It is presumed that the Governor will sign the bill, which requires employers to pay unemployment insurance benefits to workers not working as a result of a lockout.

 Last call for this seminar which begins on February 19 and concludes February 23. The lead instructor will be Wayne Pratt, Oasis Business Group. Assisting Wayne will be Rick Grabowski, Pickus Construction & Equipment.

The course will be offered at the College of Lake County in Grayslake in the new Technology Building that opened last month. The cost is $350 per person and includes all materials, lunch and breaks. To register, go to www.lcca-il.org/events.

The class meets: Saturday, February 19th and Saturday, the 26th, from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, February 23rd at the College of Lake County Grayslake Campus.