Construction Industry Steering Team Summary of Minutes
8 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007, Mark One Electric, 909 Troost
Attending: Jim Beem, Sang T. Duong (for Khensa Karim), Frank Jackson, Garry Kemp, Dave Kendrick, Bob Looman, Dave Lovetere, Herb Millard, Rory O’Connor, Lonnie Scott, Colleen White, Craig Wright, Bob Jacobi
•Introductions and thanks to Rosie Biondo and Mark One Electric Co. for hosting.
•The sheet metal contract has been completed. The IBEW contract reached impasse and has been submitted to the Council on Industrial Relations (six NECA chapter managers, six IBEW business managers) who will make determinations on the items of disagreement and determine the final contract. The Insulators contract expires Oct. 1.
•The IBEW Town Hall meeting process continues. One more meeting will be held for rank-and-file unable to attend the previous ones; more than 600 have attended to date. A session was also held for contractors. Three committees will be formed with equal union and contractor representation on image, mentoring of new workers and education, areas that have stood out from the meetings so far as in need of addressing. A session to present the results with Mark Breslin will take place Nov. 17 at the Overland Park Convention Center; as many as 1500 are expected to attend.
It is also expected that the Roundtable group will be incorporated in the KCCP process so that all trades can be involved.
•Meetings continue regarding implementation of the Kansas City, Mo., Workforce Ordinance. Training meetings for contractors now working for the city will be held this month on data collection, though the city does not expect to enforce the ordinance for one year and then evaluate based on the data it has received. The city is also working on revising its Memorandum of Understanding with the state of Missouri regarding prevailing wage enforcement with SB 339 taking effect this month. City legal staff is concerned with arbitration liability though other legal opinions and those of the drafting legislators do not share this concern. Strategic Workplace Solutions will continue to collect data from unions rather than having the locals submit directly to the city.
•MODOT’s kcICON Workforce Utilization Plan Partnership Agreement is expected to be concluded and signed Monday, Aug.13. The agreement covers minority and female workforce issues for the upcoming $245 million Paseo Bridge project and includes $1.25 million in funding. An advisory group will be created. The Committee discussed putting together a Kansas City-based proposal to carry out the activities in the contract agreement; St. Louis organizations are looking to get that work.
•The next meeting on the Truman Sports Complex workforce issues will be Monday, Aug. 13.
•The LMC Issues Committee is looking at Kansas City, Mo., boards and commissions appointed by the Mayor in order to make recommendations. The list is available to those interested. Further discussion will take place at the LMC’s Aug. 22 Board meeting.
•Committee members were encouraged to participate in the KCMO economic development policy planning process. The draft of a new policy is planned for early September.
•Independence passed its sales tax renewal for infrastructure by 2-1 margin. The Kansas City, Mo., infrastructure sales tax renewal will be on the November ballot and is crucial for future city economic development.
•Kansas and Missouri both will be developing new transportation plans. In Kansas the identified needs are double the annual investment under the current plan, which expires in 2009. New needs have developed in part due to ethanol and other rural shipping needs, bioscience development, the new Gardner intermodal facility and Ft. Riley expansion. In Missouri dollars generated under Amendment 3 will stop becoming available for maintenance and new projects by 2011. Several proposals have been made for tax increases to address the coming Missouri shortfall.
•Workforce availability, particularly in light of the massive additional investments in coming years in public and utility infrastructure and the aging of the workforce, is a critical issue. Data on upcoming needs must be available to spur expansion of apprenticeship programs and other strategies, such as organizing, to maintain and increase the available workforce or else the work will go to illegal immigrants and others from outside the community. Both field workers and management/professional workers are needed; there are already shortages in some crafts, in engineering, project management and other management areas.
•NICE is implementing its programs in the Kansas City, Kansas high schools this fall and several Kansas City, Mo., high schools as well. In November the Crayons to CAD middle school program will be ready also.
•The NICE and Building Trades golf tournaments are full and expected to be very successful.
•The next meeting will be 8 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 13 at Mark One.
•/S/C to adjourn.
Note: The conference on regaining market share discussed last month is being held Nov. 11-12 in New York city. The web site is unionconstructionmarketing.com.
Also, we received a letter from Rep. Dennis Moore sharing his concern on the 3% issue.