Longtime SMACNA Boston member and immediate past president Kevin Gill, Sr. of McCusker-Gill Inc. recently received the first ever Contractor of the Year award from the sheet metal trade journal SNIPS magazine.
In an interview, Kevin revealed his continuing passion for the business and a relentless drive to improve their fabrication process, which included upgrading the size of their headquarters, investing in the newest technologies, and touring other sheet metal shops to ensure they were utilizing industry best practices.
Join us in congratulating Kevin and everyone else at McCusker-Gill!
Below is a white paper from the New Horizons Foundation presenting some of the positives effects companies may expect if they effectively implement a Board of Directors and Peer Group model of company leadership.
Continue reading “New Horizons White Paper on Company Organization”
Dear Members and Job Seekers,
As you may know, each month brings new opportunities to apply for apprenticeships with different union building trades. Each of the 12 trades has its own timeline and procedure for apprenticeship applications.
The following trade(s) will be accepting applications for apprenticeship training:
WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY
*****Please be sure to call the union to confirm these details! ******
Roofers & Waterproofers Union Local 33
- When: Every Mon., Tues., and Wed., 9am – 11am
- Phone: (781) 341-9192
- Address:
Local 33: Willie Hernandez
53 Evans Dr.
Stoughton, MA 02072
Requirements:
- Valid Driver’s License
- Must be 18 or older
- Reliable Transportation
- Must be able to pass a drug test
Boilermakers Local 29
- When: Monthly – Last Friday of every month: 8am – 11am (July 28, 2017)
- Phone: (617) 328-8400
- Address: 68 Sagamore St, North Quincy
- Website: http://www.bmlocal29.org/
Requirements:
- Must have a valid Driver’s license
- Must be 18 or older
- Must have HS Diploma or GED
Carpenters, Floor Coverers, Local and Pile Drivers Locals 33, 40, 56, 67, 218, 723, 2168
- When: Monthly – Monday, July 3, 2017. Info sessions: 9am or 3pm
- Phone: (508) 792-5443, Option 2
- Address: 750 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MA 02125
- Website: www.nectf.org
Requirements:
- Must have valid ID
- Must be 18 at time of interview
- Must have HS Diploma or GED
Painters & Allied Trades D.C. 35
- When: Starting July 3, 2017, accepting only 25 applications per month.
- Phone: (617) 524-0248
- Address: 25 Colgate Rd., Roslindale, MA 02131
- Apply on Website: www.iupatdc35.org
Requirements:
- Copy of High School Diploma or GED
- Valid Driver’s License
Sheet Metals Workers Local 17
- When: Monthly – Every 3rd Thursday of the month: 9am – 2pm (July 20, 2017)
- Phones: (617) 298-0850
- Address: 1181 Adams St, Dorchester, MA
- Website: www.LU17JATC.ORG
Requirements:
- Must have a valid Driver’s license
- Must be 18 or older
- Must have HS Diploma or GED transcripts
- Social Security card
- 3 Letters of Recommendations
- Must be physically capable of performing work of the trade
- Pre-hire physical and drug screen
- Must reside within the jurisdictional area
Millwrights Local 1121
- When: Monthly – Applications are accepted the 2nd & 3rd Wednesday of each month at 9:30am
- Phone: (617) 254- 0042
- Address: 90 Braintree St. Allston, MA
- Website: easternmillwrights.com
Requirements:
- Must have a valid Driver’s license
- Must be 18 or older
- Must have copy of HS Diploma or GED
- Must have copy of HS/College transcript
In addition, Suffolk Construction and Wynn Casino are looking for active union members. They can submit an application for employment at the link below.
If you know of someone already in the union, please have them go to our website at www.surveymonkey.com/r/3WJRY66 to submit an application. We will notify unions and subcontractors of their availability. Help spread the word!
Boston, or more accurately, Brighton, is home to one of most energy efficient buildings in the world! The 250,000 square foot New Balance HQ on Guest Street is one of only a few LEED Platinum certified buildings in Massachusetts. It was the first building in the US to achieve every possible indoor environmental quality credits.
LEED Platinum certification examines certain areas including: energy efficient design, water use reduction, sustainable site selection and development, responsible materials selection and waste management, and enhanced indoor environmental quality. New Balance HQ was statistically superior to many other similar buildings.
- 26% annual energy cost savings when compared to a code-compliant building.
- 35% reduction in water consumption of plumbing fixtures when compared to a code-compliant building.
- 76% waste diversion during construction
- 86% reduction in site runoff post-development when compared to pre-development.
- 28% of material used in construction derived from recycled content.
- 74% of material used in construction derived from a regional source.
- 100% of wood used in construction was Forest Stewardship Council certified.
- 30% higher ventilation rate when compared to a code-compliant building.
Based on these statistics it is clear that not only is the ownership devoted to LEED certification, but so were the contractors who achieved it.
Best of all, it was built by many of our SMACNA members!
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has proposed new rules to govern the merger of troubled multi-employer pension plans. The PBGC has authority under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA),
to support mergers if it benefits the failing plan without harming the stronger plan. In addition, PBGC can provide funding to promote a merger if it is needed to help plans avoid insolvency. Mergers help reduce administrative costs and increase pension security.
The MPRA was an attempt by Congress to provide PBGC better tools to deal with the growing issue of pension insolvency. The proposed rule is a logical interpretation of the MPRA giving reasonable options to troubled multiemployer pension plans.
The proposed rule provides guidance for requesting help in a merger. PBGC can provide financial assistance, technical assistance, and mediation. Also, the rule provides an informal avenue for multiemployer plan sponsors to explore merger discussions with the PBGC before filing a formal request. Finally, the proposed rule allows plan sponsors to apply for both benefit suspensions under the MPRA and a merger under the statute. The PBGC realizes that pension insolvency is not a zero-sum endeavor stating, “some plans may need both benefit suspensions and a financial assistance merger to become or remain solvent.”
The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on June 6. The deadline for submitting comments is Aug. 5.
Alth
ough the proposed rule is a commonsense step to facilitate pension mergers, many are still in precarious positions. The most prominent in the Central States fund whose emergency rescue plan was denied by the Department of the Treasury on May 6, 2016.
The Treasury Department found several issues with the methods Central States used in notifications to participants and in their proposal to cut benefits and reestablish financial stability. Central States has announced that it will run out of money by 2025. As of the end of last year, the fund showed $16.8 billion in assets and $35 billion in retiree obligations. This is a 48% funding ratio. That’s bad news because the average funding ratio for PBGC multiemployer plans in the construction industry was 44%.
Most experts believe that government action is the only way Central States will avoid bankruptcy. However, given the national political scene this is unlikely, instead they are getting creative to cover the costs. For example, many employers have been exiting the plan due to its predicament. Central States has increase the amount collected in withdrawal liability, the fee an employer pays to exit the plan. Also Central States offers a Hybrid method where employers pay the withdrawal fee and remain in the plan, but are free from incurring any additional liability.
Longtime SMACNA Boston member and immediate past president Kevin Gill, Sr. of McCusker-Gill Inc. recently received the first ever Contractor of the Year award from the sheet metal trade journal SNIPS magazine.