Click here to download the 2013 April Newsletter. The highlights are below:
April 2013 Issue 4 Volume 3
Annual Membership Meeting Registration
Barb will begin sending out registration forms this month for the annual membership meeting. This year the meeting is being held at Stone Bridge Resort in Branson, Missouri on July 18—20, 2013.
Please send the information back as soon as possible so we can get an accurate count of rooms and people attending. This year we will be staying in two and three bedroom condominiums.
If you want to check out the facility you can view it at http://www.stonebridgebranson.com/.
The resort is located on the west side of Branson near Sliver Dollar City off state highway 76.
Negotiations Begin in Texarkana
We begin negotiations this month in the Texarkana Division. The Business Manager, Steve Hensel, has always been very reasonable to negotiate with. He is retiring this year and has brought the Union President, James Morphew, in as a replacement. James serves on the JATC and is very familiar to our members there.
An increase in the Southwestern Health and Benefit Fund was not been scheduled but is expected in the next 12—18 months. This after the .25 increase January 1st of this year.
The work outlook will be discussed among other issues when we sit down for the first meeting next week.
I hope James is as good to work with as Steve has been.
2013 Events
- NECA NOW April 14—17 ,2013 Phoenix, AZ
- Arkansas Chapter NECA Annual Membership Mtg. Branson, MO. July 18—20, 2013
- Bd. Of Governors meeting and trade show & convention Oct 12 –15, 2013
2013 Arkansas Legislative Session
I mentioned last month about the legislative session in progress. This year for the first time Republicans out number the Democrats in the Senate by a 21 to 14 majority, and 51 to 48 in the House of Representatives. In addition the Speaker of the House, Davy Carter, is a young attorney and banker who is a Republican from Cabot.
The Senate President pro tempore who is also a Republican is Michael Lamoureux from Russellville.
So far this group has overridden the Governor’s veto on two bills dealing with abortion and just overrode his veto on the voter required identification bill (requires picture ID to vote). The other main issues yet to be decided are the funding for the proposed new steel mill in Osceola, and SJR 5, the proposed constitutional amendment to give the General Legislature the authority to pass laws regulating damages that may be awarded by the courts, commomly referred to as tort reform. Stay tuned.
From the Director
Visiting with our members from around the state most of you are still slow — the up surge in the economy has not landed quite yet.
Last month there was a bill introduced to eliminate the prevailing wage law in Arkansas. I don’t have to tell you that would be very detrimental to your ability to compete with the non-union contractors. Prevailing wage rates in most of the metropolitan areas are equivalent to the local inside rates of our agreements. The bill did not get out of committee.
Another bill sponsored by a legislator who happens to be a general contractor wants to give more latitude to contractors allowing employees to be classified as private contractors, issuing 1099’s rather than W2’s, and having to pay the costs associated with having employees. I don’t think this bill will get out of committee.
The Fort Smith Division is scheduled to meet with several IBEW representatives to look for ways to become more competitive in the Fayetteville / Springdale / Rogers area. This area has the lowest market share in the state. We are hoping that through our discussions we can get a foot hold in that market.
Kent Pellegrino, who served as the Arkansas Chapter Manager during the end of 1995 to 1996, called and said to wish all that remembered him well. He just turned 66 and is retired and living in Topeka Kansas.
Jonathan Scurlock, Memphis Chapter Manager, just received the arbitrator’s decision on the Memphis negotiations and sent me a copy. It’s always interesting to read an ”award” (the arbitrators decision). Looks like the Chapter did okay. In most arbitration decisions I have read, they tend to “split the baby” or give each side something. It is good to keep informed on what is going on with other forms of arbitration and I appreciate Jonathan sharing this.
I don’t know if your have heard or read anything from Dr. Benjamin Carson who made news recently for comments he made at the national prayer breakfast. Whether you like Dr. Carson or not he sparked a lot of interest generated by his comments. One thing I noted was the poem by Mayme White Miller his mother read him. The poem is listed below. Dr. Carson was born into poverty and is currently Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Yourself to Blame
If things go bad for you And make you a bit ashamed Often you will find out that You have yourself to blame
Swiftly we ran to mischief And then the bad luck came Why do we fault others? We have ourselves to blame.
Whatever happens to us, Here is what we say “Had it not been for so—and—so Things wouldn’t have gone that way.”
And if you are short of friends, I’ll tell you what to do Make an examination, You’ll find the faults in you…
You’re the captain of your ship, So agree with the same If you travel downward You have yourself to blame.
ARKANSAS CHAPTER NECA
3807 MCCAIN PARK DRIVE, SUITE 118
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 72116-7848
501-758-2224 FAX 501-758-6609
chleonard1@arneca.org Cell: 501-837-1335
President Tim Houston
Vice President Shannon Cormell
Treasurer Chad Willmon
Governor Mitch Hughes
Executive Director Chester Leonard
Office Manager Barb Edison
Little Rock NECA Representative Email
Advent Systems Mike Komm 501-537-6132 mike_k@adventsystems.com
Coker Electric Co. Jimmy Coker 870-247-4800 jdc.cec@sbcglobal.net
Miller Electric Company David Long 501-225-4493 dlong@mecojax.com
Stanberry Electric Dean Stanberry 501-519-2739 dstanberry52@gmail.com
Texarkana
Applied Control Technology Robert Rogers 903-791-3000 rrogers@appcontech.con
Hadaway Electric Tony Hadaway 870-772-4320 hadaway.elec@windstream.net
Chewning and Wilmer Don McMillon 903-278-7400 donm@chewningandwilmer.com
El Dorado
Lawrence Electric Steve Lawrence 870-862-4711 srl@lawrenceelectricco.com
Fort Smith
Concord Electric Bob / Dean Floyd 479-474-3792 nimrod1@cox.net
Harvey-Preston Electric Russell Thomas 479-646-0433 russell@harveyprestonelectric.com
Hughes Electric Mitch Hughes 479-646-6571 mitchelchughes@aol.com
Thomas Electric Chad Willmon 479-783-1019 chad@thomaselectric.us
Jonesboro
Cache Valley Electric Mike Perkes 435-752-6405 mike.perkes@cve.com
Tri-State Armature & Electric Tim Houston 870-935-9362 thouston@tsarm.com
Comments on this entry are closed.