BAC
Administrative District Council Officials
|
Director's
Report
Brothers and Sisters, As we close out another year of a dismal economic environment, when construction activity has been reduced, and an anti-union sentiment persist throughout our state and nation, we must continue to focus on our number one objective and that is to create good paying, safe job opportunities for all our members! Over the last two newsletters we have outlined your Unions efforts to do just that. In this issue I will bring you up to date on those efforts as well as brief you on our efforts for 2012. • Meetings- in addition to our full monthly meetings, the leadership of the ADC as well as your Local officers have met on a rotating basis with members of the Locals committees, shop stewards, and apprentices to provide for transparency, collaboration, and input in our decision making. We have also continued to meet with each Locals retirees to discuss health care concerns, the effect of health care reform, and any other issues affecting them. Finally, as reported at all 3 Local meetings, the ADC Audit Committee, made up of rank and file members of each Local, filed their report. • Funds- we will continue to keep you informed of any changes proposed for the more effective delivery of health care to our members. As described at the Local meetings, we are evaluating various options to deliver some form of coverage to members who do not meet the 1000 hours required for eligibility. We are adjusting our approach to meet the needs of our members under the current economic environment. To date, all levels of benefits have been maintained while the cost of care continues to skyrocket. The trustees of your pension funds continue to hold our investment professionals’ feet to the fire as hours of contributions have been reduced and the stock market continues to fluctuate. We are diligent to make safe investments generate the best return possible. As all of you should be aware of by now, fund administration is statewide with an additional office in Bordentown. This has proven to be of great benefit to all 3 Locals, but is the first time Locals 2 and 5 have had this kind of access. • Training- as we continue to have IMI certified training incorporated into bid specs, our 2 training centers continue to provide the training to apprentices and journey workers alike to have the opportunity to secure jobs in the field. From grout certification, thru-wall flashing instruction, to scaffold safety and new products, there is no reason ALL our members are not cross-trained in ALL aspects of our industry. We must be ready to supply the most skilled, highly trained, and professional trowel trade workers in the business. • Job Action- participation by members when job action, pickets, and handbills are warranted is as important as ever. Due to laws such as the “two-gate system”, these efforts are not as effective as they once were. That is why your Unions leadership has found alternative, creative, and productive ways to use the Unions defense fund. Our marketing initiative that has been reported on and presented at the monthly meetings continues to provide opportunity for jobs for our members. I will elaborate on that initiative further in my report. • Scholarships- once again this year, your Union has helped our members children go on with their education. To date, $67,000. has been awarded in scholarships. As we move into 2012, we will continue to work to create jobs for our members. The 3 Local Presidents have continued to work with Stephanie Staub of IMI to finalize a statewide database of everyone working in our industry. This effort provides all staff with a tool to be even more proactive in their efforts than ever. To complement this effort, our marketing program continues to provide opportunity and advance our Union as a first choice throughout the construction industry. As of the end of October, John Capo and I have met with 26 owners, developers, and general contractors throughout New Jersey and Delaware. For the most part, these are companies that don’t necessarily use Union contractors. We have been successful in getting on their bid lists not only for new construction but for maintenance and repair of buildings they own. From Cape May to Bergen County, we are bidding work for companies that have never entertained us before! We look forward to turning this effort that started in June to real jobs this year and in to 2012. Another element of moving our Union and industry forward is the promotion of structural masonry and concrete. Working in coordination with IMI, we are building a coalition of engineers, contractors, suppliers, and end users to identify projects we believe to be viable for the use of structural masonry. In Michigan, that began a similar program 3 years ago, they attribute an additional 1 million man hours to their structural masonry initiative. We are working to duplicate that in New Jersey and all the areas we represent. In order to better protect the fringe benefits of our members, as of September 1, 2011 any contractor who is not a member of the BCA or MCNJ must either post a bond or pay their fringe benefits weekly. In the coming year, we will use our influence to strengthen the bond laws of New Jersey. Fund Counsel Chuck Virginia has given us valued leadership as we move forward with this effort. By the time you receive this, all 120 members of our states legislature will have been re-elected or newly elected. We will continue to advance legislatively the issues that are important to our members and our ability to secure work. As we have reported at the monthly meetings, your leadership has advanced a bill that requires the periodic inspection of ALL buildings over 6 stories in the state. Other cities in the country have this legislation, but we will be the first State to enact it. The bill sailed through the Senate and now is pending in the assembly. Once through there, we will push for the Governors signature. This effort will create jobs from the inspection process through any actual remediation. Throughout the election process the BAC was a leader in supplying members for labor walks. Close to 200 members participated this election cycle. Just think what we could accomplish with a majority of members participating! The leadership of your Union recognizes the biggest problem we face today is unemployment. Through all the efforts I have listed, we are trying every creative, proactive way to reduce the level of unemployment we face. It is our primary responsibility. We cannot afford to be distracted by any discussion that is not about creating jobs or offering solutions to the REAL problems we face. The only reason to look backwards is to guarantee we don’t make the same mistakes again. We will continue to seek the input of those who want to move this organization forward and improve opportunity. We cannot afford to ignore the progress we have made and to build on any success obtained. We still have much to do but plenty to be proud of in that effort. On behalf of all of us with the ADC, I assure you this job is not just what we do, but is who we are! We look forward to 2012 with great anticipation of increased opportunity for all of our members. We also want to take this time to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, a joyful holiday of your faith, and a healthy and prosperous New Year! |
In Solidarity,
| Richard
E. Tolson Director, BACADC of NJ |
Secretary/Treasurer
Report
Mrs. Kutakoff, my freshman English teacher in high school, was an intimidating woman. She had blue hair piled high, a frame more like a tank than a woman in her sixties and a face that could only give mean looks and never crack even a hint of a smile. At least that’s how it seemed to a 13 year old starting high school. Mrs. Kutakoff started our first day of English class with this statement, “There are no stupid questions.” Easy for her to say. If Einstein had given me a question to ask I wasn’t going to ask it and that’s the way my freshman year of English went. Probably explains my final grade. It occurred to me sitting at a Local Union meeting one night and observing the membership in attendance as the speaker rattled off abbreviations that many members didn’t appear to understand what the speaker was talking about. Let alone what all those abbreviations meant. I thought back to when I sat out in the audience and listened to my Local officers speak that I didn’t always understand the terms they used. I’m sure they like me and my fellow officers took it for granted the membership knew of all the terms and abbreviations they used. WRONG! I also know most, if not all, members who don’t know will not ask. Remember, “There are no stupid questions.” Easy for me to say. In an effort to have all our members understand the various abbreviations and terms we officers commonly use, let me offer some explanations. • CBA: Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is the document that spells out all terms, working conditions, wages and benefits among other things. • Prevailing Wage: This is the wage paid on any government construction project by law in the state. This wage is determined by taking the wage from each trade’s CBA. Minus a few minor contributions. This wage is to be paid regardless if the contractor or workers are union. • PLA: Project Labor Agreement. This agreement is entered into by the owner of a project (Public or Private) and the building trades where the basic terms and conditions for labor are established in advance for everyone involved in the project. It has many similarities to a CBA and even refers to the “Schedule A” section of the CBA in some instances. • DOL: Department of Labor. This is the State or Federal agency that oversees and in theory enforces labor laws. They are critical in monitoring and enforcing the “Prevailing Wage” on government projects and proper wages on private projects. • SDA: School Development Authority. This originally was the School Construction Corporation (SCC) which oversees and finances the school construction program for the Abbott Districts (inner city) and helps financing in suburban districts. The poor financial situation in the state has greatly reduced this program. • EDA: Economic Development Authority. Is an independent, quasi governmental self supporting entity. It provides access to capital by the NJ business community to help broaden and expand the states economy. • Right to Work Law: Prohibits agreements between labor unions and employers that make membership, payment of union dues or fees a condition of employment. • IMI: International Masonry Institute. IMI offers quality training for craftworkers, professional education for masonry contractors and free technical assistance to the design and construction communities. IMI is a strategic alliance between the BAC and their contractors, promoting quality masonry construction. I hope this will help next time you attend a monthly union meeting or a Field Rep is talking to you on a job site. Remember Mrs. Kutakoff. There are no stupid questions. |
| John F.
Capo Secretary/Treasurer |
Office Administrator Report
Brothers and Sisters: In an effort to always keep you informed,
we are pleased to announce a fresh new look to the BAC/ADC of
New Jersey web site. We are continuously looking for ideas on
how to improve the web site further and your ideas are the most
valuable to us. I would appreciate any feedback you may have.
Feel free to email me at nadbacadcnj@yahoo.com with any suggestions.
If you haven’t been to any of the web site before the
addresses are as follows; |
Fraternally,
| Nick D'Orazio Office Administrator |
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