ECA Chicago
LiveWire

                         SEPTEMBER 2019
Upcoming Events

We hope that you will be able to attend these events: 

September 11, 2019
ECA Regular Membership Meeting (Evening)
Gibsons Steakhouse
Oak Brook, IL


September 14 - 17, 2019
NECA Convention 
Trade Show
Las Vegas, NV


September 25, 2019
"Succession Planning"
Seminar
Drake Oak Brook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL


September 26, 2019
"VDVNA Review -
Know Before You Go"
Maggiano's Banquets
Oak Brook, IL


October 9, 2019
ECA Regular Membership Meeting
Maggiano's Banquets
111 W. Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL


October 10, 2019
YP of ECA event
Kaiser Tiger
Chicago, IL


October 16 - 17, 2019
NECA NextGen Fly-In
Washington, DC


October 17, 2019
Electric Association
Annual Awards Dinner
Carlisle Banquets
Lombard, IL


October 23, 2019
DATE CHANGE!!!
"Are You a Project Manager or a Project Witness?" First Level Seminar
Drake Oak Brook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL


November 13, 2019
ECA Regular Membership Meeting
Erie Cafe
Chicago, IL


November 20, 2019
"Next Level:  Are You a Project Manager or a Project Witness?" Seminar
Drake Oak Brook Hotel
Oak Brook, IL


January 9 - 10, 2020
NEW DATE!!!!
Electric Association Conference
Drury Lane Conference Center
Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago

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Chicago & Cook County Chapter, NECA


Phone:  708-531-0022
Fax:  708-531-0071
  

Please review this month's LiveWire newsletter.  We hope you enjoy the local and national industry updates.   As a reminder, we also invite to join us on Facebook and LinkedIn!  

ECA End-of-Summer event
 
The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) held an end-of-Summer membership event on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. Over 60 attendees enjoyed the event which was held at Wrigley Rooftops to watch the Chicago Cubs vs. the San Francisco Giants!  The evening's festivities were held in the Legends Suite.  The next special membership event will be the ECA Holiday event in December!  Watch for registration information, soon!

Guests at the  Wrigley Rooftops.


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Young Professionals of ECA (YP of ECA)
The ECA Young Professionals Committee recently sponsored a YP of ECA "Member Meet-Up" Happy Hour.  This after-work, informal gathering was held on Wednesd ay, August 14, 2019.  We thank those who were able to attend.   The next YP of ECA event will be held on October 10, 2019 at the Kaiser Tiger in Chicago.  The Chicago Department of  Buildings Deputy Commissioner, Grant Ullrich, and Electrical Inspector, Bill Guinane, will be on hand to talk about how the new building codes affect our industry, as well as provide an update on future programs and initiatives in the works for the Department of Buildings and construction in Chicago.  Registration starts on September 1st!

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ECA Programming for Fall 2019

The ECA Research and Education Committee continues its ambitious education schedule for the rest of 2019.  Please click on the link below for the full Program Schedule.  You can register for the remaining programs on-line at the ECA website at:  www.ecachicago.com.  Also, initial registrations for any seminar is limited to four per member firm; however, if there are spots still available close to a seminar date, the waiting list will be reviewed.
NECA Updates 

Chapter Member Firm to receive the NECA 2019 "Project Excellence" Award 
 
The ECA would like to congratulate ECA member, Kelso-Burnett Co., as they were recently recognized by the National Electrical Contractors Association with a NECA Project Excellence Award in Green Buildings in the Energy Solutions category for the Flagship McDonald's in Chicago.
 
The prestigious NECA Project Excellence Award was established to showcase the exceptional work that NECA's members perform throughout the United States. Kelso-Burnett Co. will be recognized along with this year's other winners on Monday, Sept. 16 during NECA's annual convention in Las Vegas.
 
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NECA IIT Student Chapter Advances to Convention 

As a  reminder, the Student Chapter consisting of representation from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) has placed Third in the preliminary portion of the NECA Green Energy Challenge.  The Student Chapter is to present their net-zero energy proposal concerning Provident Hospital of Cook County during the NECA Convention in Las Vegas.  The Student Chapter will be competing against the University of Toronto and Iowa State University.  The students are also competing in a separate video competition.    The students and IIT facilitator who are participating with the finals are:   Ryan Schonken, Michael O'Heny, Mi chael O'Brien, Nicole Amon, Jaslyn Otero, Gaoshua (Myka) Chang and Dr. Daniel Tomal, IIT Facilitator.

The ECA thanks all for their help and support.  Congratulations, students!

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NECA Voice-Data-Video National Agreement (VDVNA)  Review Program Registration   

The  Chicago and Cook County Chapter, NECA is to  present a seminar, called,  "VDVNA Review - Know Before You Go."  The session will be conducted by  Mr. David Ward, NECA Midwest Field Representative and will be held as follows:

DATE            
Thursday, September 26, 2019

TIME            
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm (Seminar / Q & A)
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm (Networking Reception)

LOCATION    
  Maggiano's Banquets 
240 Oakbrook Center
Oak Brook, IL 60523
The "Know Before You Go" VDVNA presentation is intended to be a summary of items an employer should know when securing a project and utilizing the VDVNA. This summary addresses items such as:
  • Requirements prior to beginning a job
  • Scope Review - What's in and what's not
  • Dispute resolution under the terms of the agreement
  • Working members of a firm
  • Appointments of Stewards
  • Workweek differences from your local agreement
  • Holidays
  • Payday and Waiting time
  • Worker classification
  • Portability
  • Benefit payments
  • Equalizing wage packages
  • Transferring workers to base employers
  • Travel Time
  • Layoffs
  • Determining Vacation credits
This summary does not address all possible scenarios and should not be used as a substitute of reading the agreement or contacting the base and site local NECA Chapters with questions. Depending on Question and Answer time allotment, the seminar should last approximately 90 minutes. Attendees may wish to bring their laptop or tablets for interactive agreement searches of relevant language.
Registration
To register, please visit the ECA website at: www.ecachicago.com (Event Calendar area or Education & Training area) and register on-line for this complimentary program. You need to use the Comp Code: NECA MEMBER to register (NECA MEMBER is all uppercase).

Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAPs) - NECA Continues to Monitor Issue

On June 25, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a    Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)  that, if finalized, would allow for the creation of Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs). IRAPs are a proposed training model structured to operate outside of the traditional registered apprenticeship program. They would be accredited by DOL to act as third-party certifiers of newly created apprenticeship programs. 
 
NECA is concerned that the proposed rule establishing IRAPs could create an environment that would de-emphasize safety, wage standards, and would be riddled with conflicts of interest. While the proposed rule currently includes a provision exempting the construction industry from creating IRAPs, NECA is gravely concerned this exemption could be removed, weakened, or limited when the rule is finalized in the coming months.
 
It was imperative that all NECA contractors, their employees, NECA chapters, and NECA employees made their voices heard to ensure this tentative exclusion does not fall through. We hope that you were able t o submit a comment as the deadline passed on August 26, 2019.  NECA Government Affairs will continue to monitor this issue.
Safety Update

CSC September Schedule 
 
For a listing of coursework available through the Construction Safety Council (CSC) for the month of September 2019, please click on the link:  www.buildsafe.org. 
Industry Statistics - June 2019

Stay on top of monthly data for our industry:  number of contractors active, quantity of people employed and total hours worked.