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Builders Association Builder Blast
Builder Blast For 7-2 7/2/2008

Keep Contracts In Mind July Fourth

Friday marks the July Fourth holiday, so be sure to review your contracts to find out what this means on your jobsites. In most contracts, workers will typically earn double-time if they work Friday. For most, Thursday is a regular work day and workers will get paid time-and-a-half for Saturday, but contracts should be consulted for exact details.

The Builders Association wishes each of its members a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Labor News

Bill Dugan, eight-term President and Business Manager of Operating Engineers Local 150, announced his resignation at a staff meeting last week. Vice President Jim Sweeney was named as his successor at Assistant to the President Jim McNally was promoted to Vice President.

Dugan is stepping aside to take care of his wife, Dottie, who is battling an illness. He has been an Operating Engineer since 1955 and assumed the Presidency in 1986. In his 22 years of leadership, Local 150 has seen its membership grow from 10,000 to 23,000 and its fund assets grow to $3 billion.

JCB Settles Jurisdictional Disputes 

The Joint Conference Board heard seven Step II hearings between June of 2007 and May of this year. In each hearing, representatives from met with the Chicago & Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council and the Construction Employers Association to resolve jurisdictional disputes.

Four disputes were not resolved at the Joint Conference Board hearings, and proceeded to arbitration. Those included:

  • Two issues between Plumbers Union Local 130 and the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters over installation of toilet room accessories. The arbitrator determined in both cases that the work belonged to the Plumbers
  • Sheet Metal Workers Local 73 and the Carpenters over installing air registers in floor tiles. Arbitration determined that the work was properly assigned to the Carpenters
  • Bricklayers Local 21 and Ironworkers Local 63 disputed the installation of exterior limestone. The arbitrator came to the conclusion that the work should be performed by a composite crew of three bricklayers and two ironworkers

Building Information Modeling

ConsensusDOCS officially released its groundbreaking BIM Addendum July 1. The document is the first standard contract form to incorporate BIM.

ConsensusDOCS also announced that the National Association of Electrical Distributors has joined the list of associations supporting the contract documents, bringing the number of contributing organizations to 22.


Stay Safe With OSHA, Builders Association

You may not know that the Builders Association has one of the comprehensive OSHA Safety Partnerships in the country. There's nothing stopping your company from joining the 21 firms that already take full advantage of this program. Contact Kristin Garcia at the Builders Association for more information, or ask about it at our Contractor Safety Forum Thursday, August 14.

Upcoming events

Builders Foundation Golf Outing
July 30, 2008
Builders Association Contractor Safety Forum
August 14, 2008
20th Annual Chicagoland Safety & Health Conference
September 15, 2008

The AGC of America offers help in keeping your workers safe through an extensive collection of DVDs for sale in its bookstore.


McShane Construction Corporation logo

This issue of the Blast is sponsored by McShane Construction Corporation.

McShane Construction Corporation is a fully integrated design/build, construction management and general construction services firm specializing in the industrial, office, health care, multi-family, hospitality and retail markets. The firm was established in 1984 by James A. McShane and is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois with regional offices in: Austin, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; and Auburn, Alabama.