Mark the Date!

Know what you should be doing November 7th?  I’ll give you a hint.  During colonial times it was limited only to adult white males who owned property.  After the US became an independent nation, the Constitution gave the States the right to decide who could do this.  By 1870 all white male adults could do this. 

In 1865 African American Males were given this opportunity; however, many States actively tried to abridge this “opportunity” through such things as literacy laws.  It wasn’t until the Civil Rights movement that these tactics ended.

In 1917 President Wilson had women jailed for months for protesting and demanding this “opportunity”.  The food in these jails was nauseating:  worms infested the oatmeal and the soup.  With a major public relations problem on his hands, Wilson pardoned all of the jailed.  Finally, in 1920, women could participate with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

In 1971 with the 26th Amendment, Congress lowered the age to 18 for all state and national elections. 

OK – I am sure you had it with the first sentence.  I am talking about voting.  Although there was a slight increase in voter turnout last November, almost 100 million Americans didn’t vote. Studies of voting behavior since the 1960’s suggest that every new generation has voted less often than its predecessor – nearly a 20% decline since the 1960 presidential election.  According to the Lake County Clerk’s Office, in the last election only 22.10% of all registered voters cast their vote.  Many in Lake County are probably not even registered.

Our ancestors endured many sacrifices to protect and earn the right to vote: from our first battle for independence from England to the protests and violence of the 1960’s …yet we can’t find the time to vote.

We have many issues here in Lake County.  We need to listen to those who wish to represent us, choose the one that best suits us, AND VOTE.  Your vote DOES count.  The Polls are open before AND after work, so please exercise the right that your ancestors fought so hard to obtain. 

RSC Equipment Rental

2201 E. Higgins Road

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

Phone: (847) 981-2203

Fax: (847) 981-2204

Supplier

     Rick Kowalski Jr., Territory Manager

RSC rents and sells the top name brands of construction equipment.  We strive to keep our fleet current, so you can be assured quality and service.

Sponsor: Mike Wolff, Lake County Grading

American Hydro Excavating, Inc.

35323 54th Street

Burlington, WI 53105

Phone: (262) 605-0970

Fax: (262) 605-0971

Contractor

     Tony Austin, General Manager

     Linda Karow, Vice President

     Allison Janas, Office Manager

     Jeanne Johnston, President

Hydro Excavating, sewer jetting, video pipe inspection

Sponsor: Mike DeNinno, Lake County Grading

Building Services, Inc.

11925 West Carmen Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53225

Phone: (414) 353-3600

Fax: (414) 353-6060

Contractor

     James Macejkovic, Executive Vice President

     James Kuehn, Secretary/Treasurer

     Peter Kordus, President

     Tom Boelkow, Vice President

Commercial interior contractors self performing company, floor covering, drywall, ceilings, painting and vinyl wall covering. .

Sponsor: Camosy, Inc.

EHC Industries, Inc.

366 Hollow Hill Drive

Wauconda, IL 60084

Phone: (847) 526-9515

Fax: (847) 526-6899

Contractor

     Kevin Liebe

     Frank Ottolino, President

Demolition and abatement.

Sponsor: Circle Concrete

Merrill Lynch

225 W. Wacker Dr. #1400

Chicago, IL 60606

Phone: (312) 696-7659

Fax: (312) 212-8417

Associate

     Brad Stanek, Vice President

Financial Planning

Sponsor: Mike Ryan, H.H. Holmes Testing Laboratories

Mike Temple, Mechanical, Inc. and Chair of the LCCA Nominating Committee, presented the following slate of Officers and Directors for 2007 to the Board of Directors at their last meeting.

Micky Day, DK Contractors - President

Rick Grabowski, Pickus Construction & Equipment –

1st Vice President

Mike Ryan, H.H. Holmes Testing – 2nd Vice President

Lyle Ehlers, Boller Construction Company - Treasurer

Gary L. Dowty, LCCA - Secretary

Mike Temple, Mechanical, Inc. – Past President

Jim Pickus, Pickus Construction & Equip. - MARBA Director

Steve Dalbec, Jos. J. Henderson & Son - Director

Karen Johnson, Roughneck Concrete Cutters - Director

Paul Nick, Lincoln Financial Advisors - Director

Steve Thelen, Thelen Sand & Gravel - Director

Elections will be held at the November Annual Meeting. Be there to cast your vote!

Fred Rodheim, Abbott Laboratories, will receive the 2006 Governors Award during the Annual Meeting. According to President Micky Day, “Fred deserves LCCA’s highest honor given his long commitment to LCCA’s Safety Program and countless contributions to improving safety among LCCA Members.”

He has chaired the Safety Committee since 1999 and was Co-Chair for several years before that. Fred facilitated the Alliance between LCCA and OSHA bringing about a source of safety help for LCCA members while protecting their privacy. He teaches many classes for LCCA; time and again students leave still laughing at his crazy “safety pictures” – but better informed on what it takes to have a safe worksite and to come home in one piece at the end of the day.

Most recently, Fred was responsible for starting the annual safety seminar for Safety Managers to increase their understanding of critical safety issues on their jobs. For all these, and many other reasons, LCCA owes a great deal to Fred and it is fitting that he is selected to receive the Governors Award.

You have spoken and the Members of the Year have been selected. The ultimate honor is to be selected by your peers as the best company to work for or with and our Members of the Year are the best of the best. Every LCCA member has the opportunity to vote for a member in each of the categories of membership EXCEPT their own. Here are the results:

General/Prime Contractor – Campanella & Sons, Inc.

Subcontractor – Aldridge Electric

Supplier – Blue Boy Portable Toilets

Associate – Lincoln Financial Advisors

According to President Micky Day, DK Contractors, almost 50% of LCCA members received a vote and the final results were very close. We will be recognizing the winners at the Annual Meeting November 2 at the Crown Plaza Mundelein. Thanks to all who voted. Your vote does count at LCCA!

The 2006 edition of LCCA’s Holiday Party is scheduled for Friday, December 1, 2006. This year we have changed venues and the party will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Mundelein.  And get ready for some southern partying as we celebrate Mardi Gras with all the trimmings. A parade, beads and, of course, some Dixieland music will highlight the event. But this is a smaller room than in the past so we expect to sell out early.

If you want to attend one of Lake County’s great parties, put your group together and block out the date. Reservation forms are included with the Newsbrief.  For those who have never attended, this is the best entertainment value in Lake County. Great food, drink, conversation and entertainment fit for a King (and Queen)!!

This is a great opportunity to entertain employees, clients or other special people while leaving the arrangements (and the headaches) to us! And for those who do not want to drink and drive, LCCA has arranged a special rate for rooms at the Crowne Plaza. Get your tables together soon.

The LCCA Winter Conference to the Ritz-Carlton Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica – January 11-15 is just a little over 2 months away and we need you – to sign up and plan to attend. On November 10, all our space will be released and rooms and air will be on a space available basis with no guarantee of price. So if you want the terrific package that has been negotiated, get your reservation in now!

We have also had inquiries about a “Land Only” price for members with lots of airline mileage to use. “Land Only” is available for just $1,275 per person, single occupancy.

Registrations so far include:

Julie Berger & Mark Chamberlin, Berger Excavating

Gary & Sandy Dowty, LCCA

Barry & Debby Heinrichs, Burris Equipment

Larry Hoffman, Lenny Hoffman Excavating

Craig Jones, Blue Boy Portable Toilet

Mary & Larry Kenar, Campanella & Sons

Don & Sheila Mors, Pipe Freezing Services

Mike & Liz Ryan, H.H. Holmes Testing

Tim & Mickey Staples, Camosy, Inc.

Suzanne & Kevin Zupec, Campanella & Sons

The cost is just $1,895 per person double occupancy, and is ALL-INCLUSIVE. You can register online at www.lcca-il.org/events .

Rick Grabowski, Pickus Construction & Equipment and Chair of the Program Committee, is pleased to announce the 2007 Spring Meeting Schedule. “We’re moving the meetings to several different Lake County venues in an effort to increase member participation in our Membership Meetings,” Grabowski explains. The annual Trade Show (previously “Associates Night”) has been moved to March, closer to the start of the construction season.

Here is the Spring 2007 Membership Meeting schedule:

January 25, 2007 at 6:00 p.m

The Arboretum Club, Buffalo Grove, IL

February 22, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.

Country Squire, Grayslake, IL

March 22, 2007 at 5:30 p.m.

Trade Show at Midlane Country Club, Wadsworth, IL

April 26, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.

PAC Auction at Lake County Conference & Banquet Center, Gurnee, IL

May 24, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.

Country Squire, Grayslake, IL

Survey says, “Cruise on a gorgeous lake”.  So baseball is out and freestyle cruising is in.  As the result of our recent member survey, the 2007 Summer Outing will be a Lake Geneva Boat Cruise.  The Program Committee is planning a gala dinner cruise of Lake Geneva in late spring. Keep an eye on future editions of your LCCA Newsbrief for the exact date and details.

Beware Giving Bonuses - LCCA members have been audited by various benefit funds who demanded the payment of all fringe benefit funds on “bonuses” awarded employees for a profitable year.  Here is a classic case of a contractor trying to do something good only to have it come back in his face. Unfortunately, some contractors illegally “bank hours” worked by employees and pay this out as a bonus to avoid paying fringes.  And everybody pays!

At the very least, you should plan on withholding and submitting fringe benefits from all bonuses and cash rewards given for any reason.  Or make sure you have a signed statement from the employee that the money received is really a bonus and no hours were worked to receive the bonus.

According to MARBA attorney, Charles E. Murphy, Ogletree Deakins, "Discretionary bonus payments not constituting disguised payments for hours worked are not ‘hour worked’ or ‘hour paid’ and thus no contributions need be made to applicable fund trusts."  He does suggest contractors have a written description of the bonus program on file and that this include a statement reflecting management's discretion in making the payments and stipulating that bonus payments are not for hours worked or paid.

Time Off Also A Problem - Another issue which comes up frequently during a fringe benefit audit is employee requested time off.  Let’s say that an employee comes to the superintendent and asks for a couple hours off on a Friday afternoon to get a head start on the weekend traffic.  The employee then only works 5 hours this day and he is only paid for the five hours.  Problem?  Yes, unless you have documented proof that the employee left work on his own request.

Remember your labor contract requires employees who start work to be paid for some amount of time whether they work or not.  For example, the Operators Building Agreement requires 8 hours pay if the employee starts work.  When the auditor sees a day with something less than a full day recorded on your records, they will assume you owe the remainder and add the wages and fringes to your bill!

To protect yourself, make sure all unpaid time off is documented on the time sheets - preferable with the employee’s signature somewhere acknowledging that the time off is his choice.  A little bit of paperwork now can save you many hours of aggravation later.

As we approach another holiday, it is important to know just what your labor agreements require for payments of wages and fringes during the holiday season. All agreements recognize Thursday, November 23, 2006, as the official holiday and require double time if you work the day.

The Friday after Thanksgiving can be an issue. Most contracts consider this a “straight time day”, but some, like the Elevator Constructors and Teamsters Ready-Mix Concrete agreement consider the day a holiday. Some agreements also require Holiday Pay for certain employees.

The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 is engaged in a labor dispute with a number of employers in the asphalt paving industry.  LCCA contractor members have received a list of the asphalt pavers who have been targeted by the union.  Any contractor employing one of these pavers may be subject to picketing as the result of this dispute.  

Effective this fall the Building and Construction Technology Program offered by the College of Lake County is now the Construction Management Technology Program.  LCCA members serving on the advisory council for the program helped recommend the changes to make it more beneficial to the membership.   Any contractor member who would like information on the revamped program please contact the LCCA office. 

In 2007, the Illinois Tollway will begin reconstructing and widening to four lanes the 25-mile section of the North Tri-State Tollway between Dempster Street and Grand Avenue.  The less busy section north of Grand Avenue to Russell Road will be reconstructed.  Adding a fourth lane in the sections north of Grand Avenue will be staged in coordination with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in the future when they widen I-94.
 

The Dempster to Grand Avenue project is expected to begin in 2007, with completion targeted for 2010.  Reconstruction also will begin in 2007 in the section north of Grand Avenue to Russell Road. 

Three lanes of traffic will remain available in both directions during daytime hours throughout this project through the use of crossover lanes and shoulders.  Lane closures will be permitted off-peak only to minimize the impact to traffic.  To minimize the impact on local roads, work on crossroad bridges will be staggered to the extent possible to reduce inconvenience.  The bridges will remain open but with reduced lanes. 

Work is expected to begin in spring 2007 in the southbound lanes from Half Day Road to Russell Road.  Also scheduled to begin in 2007 is widening and reconstruction of Willow Road over the Tri-State Tollway and bridge and retaining wall work at Sanders Road.  Southbound work between Dempster Street and Lake-Cook Road and northbound work between Half Day Road and Russell Road is scheduled to begin in 2008.  Also scheduled for 2008 is work to widen and reconstruct Half Day Road Bridge over the Tri-State Tollway.  Remaining work on crossroad bridges is scheduled for 2009.  The project will be completed over three years to minimize the impact to traffic on the Tollway and on local roads.