News Archives - Page 23 of 31 - Central Midwest Carpenters

GETTING GOLDEN RECOGNITION

August 15, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

Allan Bramlett was recently recognized with a gold card for 50 years of membership and service to the Brotherhood of Carpenters, Muncie Carpenters Local 1016. That service area includes Henry County.

Local Rep. Roy Loveless was in town recently to congratulate Bramlett on the milestone. The recognition was anything but routine for Loveless. “Allan’s been a mentor to numerous people,” said Loveless, adding that Bramlett got him his first job. “He gave me my start. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

A New Castle resident since 2001, Bramlett continues to be involved in the community. He has an extensive list of memberships and service work in Delaware County in carpenters’ related organizations as well as business and community organizations.

At 75, his Henry County involvements include Board member of the Henry County Visitors Bureau, board member of Henry County Economic Development Corp., Vice Chair of Henry County Democrat Central Committee and Treasurer of Henry County Democrat Club.

He was a journeyman carpenter with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in the Muncie area from 1966-75; business representative of United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Eastern Indiana Area, from 1975-98; campaign manager for Congressional Candidate, District 2 Indiana from April through December of 1998; interim director of the Muncie Urban Enterprise Association from 1999-2003 and Building Trades Coordinator for B.E.S.T. through Ball State University, 1999-2003.

As business rep, he had more than 400 members. His task was to secure jobs for those in the nine counties he represented and to place carpenters and negotiate contracts.

“The fulfillment is securing decent working conditions and benefits for those people you represent,” says Bramlett.

He says of his career, “It’s been rewarding. I’ve made a good living, gotten along well with membership and people in general. It’s rewarding to secure jobs for people.”

When he hired in, Bramlett’s hourly salary was $3.15 in 1966. In 1998 when he retired, a journeyman’s wage was $19 an hour.

Bramlett is married to Betty J. Bramlett and they have four children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His wife is a Henry County native.

Ludlow contractor fined for not paying employees prevailing wage

August 11, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

By Kristen LinnartzPublished: July 13, 2016, 12:38 pm Updated: July 13, 2016, 1:48 pm

LUDLOW, Mass. (WWLP) – Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Tuesday that a Ludlow contractor has agreed to pay more than $27,000 in restitution and penalties for violating the Massachusetts prevailing wage law.

SSR Construction, Inc. and its owner Peter Slivka accepted two civil citations and agreed to pay $27,387.20 in restitution and penalties to resolve allegations that they were not paying their workers the required prevailing wage rate and failed to submit true and accurate certified payroll records to the awarding authority on a weekly basis.

“Contractors working on public projects must pay their workers a fair wage,” said Attorney General Healey. “The prevailing wage law protects workers and we will continue to enforce the law and hold accountable companies who fail to adequately compensate their workers.”

The Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division started investigating Slivka and SSR Construction in January of 2014 after receiving a complaint that they were not paying their workers the required prevailing wage rate. During their investigation, they found that between September 4, 2013 and December 6, 2013 SSR Construction performed work on a project to renovate the City Hall in Westfield and failed to pay its workers the correct prevailing wage rate. It also didn’t submit true and accurate certified payroll records to the awarding authority on a weekly basis.

Through the settlement with the Attorney General’s Office, four employees will receive restitution payments.

Here are 100+ brands that are 100% made in the USA

August 9, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

When you buy American, you help to keep local businesses strong and support domestic job growth at the same time. These 100+ brands and stores are 100% made in the USA.

Here are 100+ brands that are 100% made in the USA

The Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) program

August 1, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

The Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) program offers patient-focused training for Carpenters and various trades working in healthcare facilities and other occupied spaces. This specialized training helps prevent the spread of disease and infection during construction, ultimately keeping patients and staff safe.

City of Berkeley Enacts First of Its Kind Wage Theft Prevention Ordinance

July 21, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

New Law Will Strengthen Wage Law Compliance on Large Construction Projects

BERKELEY, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Last night, the City of Berkeley approved a first-of-its-kind local ordinance aimed at preventing wage theft on local construction projects, Smart Cities Prevail announced today.

Authored by Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, co-sponsored by a majority of the Council and supported by construction industry trade associations and workers’ rights groups, the measure requires that developers and builders certify that all contractors performing work on large projects have complied with state wage and hour laws as a condition of winning a certificate of occupancy from the city.

Click to Read the Ordinance: http://www.stopwagetheftca.org/index.php/berkeleys-new-wage-theft-ordinance/.

“Enforcing wage laws is especially difficult in the construction industry, because unscrupulous contractors who cheat workers in order to win bids on large projects find ways of disappearing after the work is done,” said Smart Cities Prevail Policy Director Scott Littlehale. “By expanding transparency and accountability BEFORE a project is complete, Berkeley has taken an important step towards preventing wage theft and leveling the playing field for honest construction businesses competing for this work.”

“This measure links our city’s responsibility for determining whether a construction project is completed with the principle of ensuring those who did the work are paid the wages they earned,” added Berkeley City Council Member Laurie Capitelli. “Whether as workers, businesses or taxpayers, we are all impacted by wage theft in some way. But we are not powerless to stop it, and that’s why I hope that other communities will soon join Berkeley in taking action.”

Research shows that wage theft annually costs California taxpayers at least $8.5 billion in tax revenue, and costs workers billions more in lost income. Because state enforcement resources are limited, workers only file claims in a fraction of cases and less than 20 percent of adjudicated claims are ever paid. The problem is especially pervasive in lower wage occupations, including California’s construction industry.

Smart Cities Prevail is a leading construction industry research and advocacy organization. More information on us may be found at www.smartcitiesprevail.org, or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SmartCitiesPrevail/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/cacitiesprevail.

StopWageTheftCA.org is a project of Smart Cities Prevail.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Todd Stenhouse, (916) 397-1131, toddstenhouse@gmail.com

*Editorial Note: above text based on press release, as provided by the news source: Smart Cities Prevail and was not created by CaliforniaNewswire.com.

Weakening Prevailing Wage Hurts Local Contractors

July 13, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

A case study from Southern Indiana demonstrates how weakening prevailing wage negatively impacts local contractors and local workers.

Out-of-state contractors benefited after Indiana weakened its prevailing wage law, according to a new Economic Commentary from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute.

Despite an emerging academic consensus that shows state prevailing wage laws have no discernible impact on project costs, lawmakers in Indiana weakened the state’s law – called Common Construction Wage – between 2012 and 2015. In 2013, the threshold for coverage was increased from $250,000 to $350,000, meaning that workers were no longer paid a prevailing wage rate on projects costing between $250,000 and $349,999.

Prior to raising its contract threshold to $350,000, hourly earnings for construction workers in Indiana were similar to all neighboring states except Kentucky. Economic research suggests that out-of-state contractors with lower-paid workers will flood the public construction market after a prevailing wage law is weakened. If true, the greatest threat to Indiana contractors would come from across its southern border in Kentucky, where construction workers earned $5 less per hour on average in July 2012.

IN-KY change1

Indiana’s southern border with Kentucky is thus a good case study on the local impact of weakening prevailing wages. There are 13 southern Indiana counties that border 14 northern Kentucky counties.

After weakening prevailing wage, employment in the heavy and civil engineering sector declined in Indiana’s southern-most counties but grew across the river in Kentucky border counties. After the Common Construction Wage threshold was raised, southern Indiana’s public works construction sector had an employment loss of 885 workers (21.2 percent). Meanwhile, public works construction employment increased by 770 workers (20.7 percent) in the Kentucky border counties.

IN-KY change2

The average monthly earnings of employees in heavy and civil engineering construction careers also declined after prevailing wage was weakened in the Indiana counties but increased across the river in the Kentucky counties. After adjusting for inflation, the county-level earnings of public works construction employees declined by $439 per month for the average Hoosier worker. At the same time, average earnings increased by $610 per month for comparable workers across the border in the Kentucky counties.

IN-KY change3

In this integrated regional economy along the Ohio River, the evidence suggests that out-of-state contractors from Kentucky with lower-paid construction workers were the real beneficiaries of Indiana weakening its prevailing wage law.

After Indiana weakened its prevailing wage law, higher-paid public works construction workers in the state’s 13 southern-most counties were replaced by lower-paid workers across the border in 14 Kentucky counties. The redistribution of jobs and earnings to Kentucky construction workers has an adverse impact on income tax revenues and sales tax revenues in Indiana.

This case study should be a cautionary note to lawmakers in states across the Midwest who are considering weakening their state’s prevailing wage.Prevailing wage is a policy that promotes high-road economic and community development. Weakening prevailing wage only hurts local contractors and workers.

Newburgh Groundbreaking Ceremony

June 14, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our Newburgh groundbreaking ceremony today! We had a great turnout. State and local elected officials, reps from Danco Construction LLc, apprentices, journeymen and IKORCC staff attended the event. The building is scheduled to be completed in February 2017.

“Today is a great day for the IKORCC as we break ground on a new facility. The commitment of our members to this organization and their careers makes this dream a reality. This new 12,000 sq. ft. office will be co-located with our Newburgh, IN training center, making it the 6th joint campus for the IKORCC. Our continued growth shows the community we are here to stay and we are here to help those who live here build a career in the trades. By co-locating our administrative functions with training, we are able to provide a one-stop shot to better provide access to our training for both members and contractors.” Mark McGriff, Executive Secretary Treasurer

Naples Business Owner Arrested for $700,000 Workers’ Compensation Fraud Scheme

June 8, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

Naples Business Owner Arrested for $700,000 Workers’ Compensation Fraud Scheme

Press Release, Florida Department of Financial Services

5-20-16

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the recent arrest of Raimundo Hernandez-Argueta, owner of Naples construction company Complete Framing Professionals (CFP). Following a joint investigation by the Department of Financial Services’ (DFS) Division of Insurance Fraud and Division of Workers’ Compensation, Hernandez was arrested on fraud charges for allegedly misrepresenting information regarding CFP’s employee operations and payroll when applying for a workers’ compensation policy. By doing so, Hernandez avoided at least $700,000 in workers’ compensation premium payments.

Floor Covers volunteer for Indy 500 Festival Parade

June 3, 2016/0 Comments/in News /by IKORCC

If you ever get a chance to visit the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade during the race weekend, you may want to take notice of the carpet installation that is a city block long and on both sides of the main grandstands. For the last 15 years, Superior Carpet and union floor covers have had a long standing tradition of volunteering the installation of the carpet runs. “The guys like being part of the Indy community and part of the 500.” said Roger Berlin President of Superior Carpet. Thank you to Roger and Susie Berlin, Chad Weber, Parker Dillion, Dave “Boo” Dillion, Evan James, Kelsey Biggs, Doug Weber, Levi Setters, Josh Berlin, and Mike Judd for being a vital part of the community.

How to thank this veteran (and others): Support prevailing wage

June 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Diversity, News /by IKORCC

Gilbert Charles, of Pinckney, is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the 1980s and moved to the skilled trades. His son, Matt, has followed in his father’s footsteps as a veteran and now as an apprentice learning how to become an electrician.

By Gilbert Charles

As we near Veterans Day, we will hear from many political leaders how grateful they are for our service. Some will express concern about veterans who return home and their opportunity to find a good job to support their families.

As a U.S. Army vet who served in the 1980s — and as the father of an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan — I always appreciate those thoughts. But I’m also concerned about efforts in the Legislature that would cut the pay of many Michigan veterans working in the construction industry.

I returned to Michigan after my service, and looked around for a good job, one that would let me build on my training, provide fairly for my family, offer decent health care benefits and a path to retirement. I found that job, training in an apprentice program and becoming a journeyman electrician as a member of IBEW Local 252. A portion of my paycheck each week goes to the apprenticeship program, to ensure those veterans and others who come after me get the training they need to do their job well and safely.

That turns out to have been a good investment. Now my son Matt is following in my footsteps. He’s in the Local 252 IBEW-NECA apprenticeship program, earning while he learns, at no cost to taxpayers. We know a lot of veterans in the industry. A recent report by the State of Michigan showed that about 9 percent of veterans are in the construction industry, compared with about 6 percent of state workers overall. And many were attracted to the fair pay and good training made possible by the state’s prevailing wage laws.

It’s exciting to see my son work in major, complex construction jobs at the University of Michigan — jobs that demand the skills I’ve gained over the years. But it’s not clear that good paying jobs in the skilled trades professions will be available to future vets.

A handful of politically powerful special interests want to cut the pay and benefits going to skilled trades workers by eliminating prevailing wage policies, even though research shows taxpayers won’t save a dime.

Prevailing wage policies say that taxpayer-supported jobs have to pay the going rate of pay in the region — usually the union-negotiated wage. Any company can bid, union or nonunion. But they have to pay a fair wage rate. It helps keep out-of-state companies from coming in with cheaper, less skilled workers to do the minimally acceptable job that meets minimum standards.

It’s in the state’s best interest to attract veterans such as Matt into the skilled trades, where there is a shortage of workers today. But without prevailing wage policies, the job will be a lot less attractive — in fact, many skilled-trades workers, including veterans, won’t enter the profession, or will go to another state. (Other Midwest states have prevailing wage policies, it’s mostly low-paying states in the South that don’t). Union apprenticeship programs will also disappear, and taxpayers will have to pay for those programs.

So this November, don’t just thank Matt and I for our service. We know you appreciate that. Take another step. Tell your lawmakers to support good jobs for veterans by supporting prevailing wage laws. That way Michigan veterans can return confident they will be able to get good training and support their families by taking jobs in the skilled trades

GETTING GOLDEN RECOGNITION

Ludlow contractor fined for not paying employees prevailing wage

Here are 100+ brands that are 100% made in the USA

The Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) program

City of Berkeley Enacts First of Its Kind Wage Theft Prevention Ordinance

Weakening Prevailing Wage Hurts Local Contractors

Newburgh Groundbreaking Ceremony

Naples Business Owner Arrested for $700,000 Workers’ Compensation Fraud Scheme

Floor Covers volunteer for Indy 500 Festival Parade

How to thank this veteran (and others): Support prevailing wage

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