News

 

Save the Date for the Division of Labor and Industry (DLI) Employment Rights and Safety Forum

Sponsored by the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry

This unique event will educate YOU on the must-knows in compliance, safety, and employment law regulations. You will have the opportunity to network with industry leaders and policy makers, as well as the ability to provide input on Maryland's procedures and programs aimed at protecting your business and your employees. You cannot afford to miss this event!

Hear from:  Secretary of Labor Alexander Sanchez; Commissioner Ron DeJuliis, and Governor Martin O’Malley (invited).

Date:  January 18, 2012

Location: West Village Commons at Towson University

Time:  8:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free!

To register for this event please contact Stephanie Binetti, by e-mail sbinetti@dllr.state or by phone, (410) 767-2182

 

Hiring D.C. Residents Pays Off! 

The District of Columbia’s Department of Employment Services (DOES) recently won a competitive $627,753 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to implement an innovative On-the-Job-Training (OJT) initiative.  This program reimburses employers 50 percent or more of a new DC hire’s gross wages during the training period.

 Purpose

 The goal of this program is to increase employment and training opportunities for unemployed District residents that will lead to full time employment with a career path.  The program is funded by the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

 What is On-the-Job-Training?

 The District’s OJT initiative is a pilot program that reimburses employers a significant portion of wages paid to hire, train, and retrain currently unemployed District of Columbia workers.

 Who can participate?

 Eligible employers include both private sector and non-profit organizations. Participating OJT employers define the job, interview candidates, and make all hiring and retention decisions.

 What is the Reimbursement Schedule for Participating Employers?

 The training wage reimbursement is based upon the size of the employer:

 Small employers (under 51 employees) are reimbursed 90% of wages paid during training;

  • Medium sized employers (between 51 and 250 employees) are reimbursed 75% of wages paid during training:
  • Large employers (over 251 employees) are reimbursed 50% of wages paid during training.

 Companies may recruit their own candidates or contact DOES which has 11,000 eligible candidates.

 The OJT participant is hired as permanent full-time employee (just as a DC Step-Up Apprentices are) receiving the same rate of pay and benefits as other employees doing similar work. 

 Does it work with First Source?

 Yes!  Companies may apply for those individuals being hired under the First Source program.

 Who in the District of Columbia can Participate?

 To qualify, a person must be a resident of the District of Columbia have been laid off after January 1, 2008, currently unemployed for 22.5 weeks (six months), and ready, willing, and able to go to work.

 Interested employers should contact DOES On-the-Job Training Coordinator at 202/698-5146 or by emailing does.ojt-initiative@dc.gov to discuss creating an On-the-Job Training opportunity. For more information go to http://does.dc.gov.

 There is a two page application that must be completed and processed. Process time is estimated to be approximately two weeks.

  

SMACNA and SMWIA Local Reach Agreement on Four Year Deal

SMACNA Mid-Atlantic Chapter  Contractors and Local 100 negotiators reached a tentative four-year agreement on Thursday, June 23rd on a four year agreement for contractor's in Baltimore region. The unions members will vote  Saturday morning on the new contract.

                                     Increase           %         Total package 

1st year                         $1.00               2.2%    $45.64 

2nd year                        1.30                 2.8%    $46.94 

3rd year                        1.50                 3.2%    $48.44 

4th year                        1.70                 3.5%    $50.14 

Special thanks to Richard Titus, Stan Fleischer, Joe Weisman, and London Anthony who represented the organization during negotiations. 

Also, it was announced that a new labor agreement in Richmond was ratified Wednesday night, June 22nd. Congratulations to Bob Gawne and Mike Pantele who negotiated this agreement.

 

GEMGroup to Collect SMACNA Industry Funds

Say good-bye to the payment book because beginning on June 1st the SMACNA Mid-Atlantic Sheet Metal Industry Funds will be collected by the GemGroup. Approved by the Industry Fund Trustees and the SMACNA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board of Directors, GEMGroup will save contractors the time and money by including their payment on GEMGroup's monthly report for the various other funds.

The GEMGroup has amended the current employer reporting form to reflect the addition of the SMACNA Sheet Metal Industry Fund. Once the funds are collected, GemGroup will electronically transfer them to the SMACNA account.

All contractors who are signatories to the Washington SMWIA Local 100 and SMACNA Collective Bargaining Agreement will submit hours worked beginning with May 1, 2011 on their monthly employers report they submit to GEMGroup.  For all hours worked prior to and including April 30th should be directly paid to SMACNA Sheet Metal Industry Fund in Greenbelt, Maryland.

GEMGroup (formerly Weaver Associates, founded in 1932) is a multidimensional service company that specializes in providing administrative services to large and medium sized employee benefit plans. As an independently owned and operated third party administrator, GEMGroup has become a recognized leader in a highly demanding and specialized industry.

Today, GEMGroup serves over 200 client benefit plans through four offices located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Oxon Hill, Maryland; Claymont, Delaware; and Towson, Maryland. Each office is fully staffed and equipped to handle a multitude of benefit plan client services.

GEMGroup presently employs approximately 120 employees, all exclusively devoted to providing quality administrative services to their benefit plan clients. On a daily basis, the organization has the direct responsibility for administering benefits to over 200,000 participants covered by their client plans, encompassing over $4 billion in combined assets.

Effective July 1, 2011 the SMACNA Industry Fund rate will be $0.21 per hour worked. For more information please contact the SMACNA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Office at 301/446-0002.

Save the Date!

Be sure to mark your calendar for April 12 – 14, 2012 for the next Northeast Sheet Metal Coalition Meeting!  The meeting will take place at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida! This is a fabulous opportunity to meet with industry members, network, and exchange ideas.  Rooms are $279 single or double! Additional information to follow!

Local 100 Adopts Code of Excellence

Members of SMWIA Local 100 recently adopted the SMWIA Code of Excellence.

The basic tenets of the Code of Excellence Program shall be to provide to the SMWIA, the employer and client:

  • Members of the SMWIA who provide the highest level of quality at the highest level of performance;
  • Who use superior craft skills; and
  • Who have proven best work practices.

The Code of Excellence Policy is therefore a written policy of the culture of the SMWIA designed to instill a sense of pride and professionalism in the industry. When adopted and implemented, the uniformity of this Code of Excellence Policy shall demonstrate to employers and their clients that contracting the services of SMWIA members is synonymous with contracting excellence.

Key Points of the Maryland Crane Safety Regulations - Crane Safety Task Force 

•The regulations are designed to prevent accidents that could cause serious injury or death related to the operation of cranes when used in construction, demolition, and maintenance.

 •With few exceptions, these regulations apply to all cranes and crane operations in construction, demolition, and maintenance and include erection, operation, and dismantling of tower cranes.

•An employer may not require or permit an individual to operate a crane unless an individual has been trained successfully and has passed a written examination that tests the knowledge and skills necessary for safe crane operation. Additionally, every five years a crane operator must show that they have maintained the knowledge, skills, and abilities to operate a crane proficiently and safely. There are special provisions for individuals learning to become a crane operator.

•Individuals who rig loads will be characterized by three classes depending upon experience, training, and work performed, including: Level 1 Rigger, Level II Rigger, or Master-Lead Rigger. An employer may not permit an individual to rig loads to be lifted by a crane unless the individual has received training and has experience appropriate to their level of work.

 •An employer may not permit an individual to provide direction or signal a crane unless the individual has received appropriate training, including proper usage of standard crane hand signals.

 •An employer who employs individuals, who signal or operate cranes or perform rigging of loads to be hoisted, must be included in the employer's mandatory alcohol and drug-free workplace policy.

 •In addition to drug testing, an individual operating a crane must successfully complete a physical examination to ensure they can safely operate the crane.

" In lieu of required training, an employer may accept the completed training from an apprenticeship program or certification from a nationally recognized and independent body.

 CRANE INSPECTIONS:

 •Mandatory inspections and documentation will be required on all cranes when first placed in service, daily when operating, and annually. The inspections must be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements and national consensus guidelines to verify the operational safety of the equipment.

 •Inspection records must be maintained and kept for three years following all inspections conducted.

 TOWER CRANES:

 •Pre-erection inspections must be conducted of all tower cranes and supporting components by a qualified person to determine the appropriate and safe methods to set up the tower crane on the site.

 •Employers must ensure that when cranes are erected, dismantled, jumped, or reconfigured, that they follow the manufacturer's instructions and they know the weights and safe lifting methods for each sub-assembly.

 •Tower cranes can only be erected, dismantled, jumped, or reconfigured when a master-lead rigger is available on-site supervising the process.

 •Employers must ensure that job safety briefings are held with the crew involved with the jumping operation, whenever the boom, jib, or counter-jib is to be reconfigured, or whenever a tower crane is to be dismantled, and each day it continues.

 •All erection, dismantling, and crane inspections must be conducted in accordance with recognized industry practices (Chapters 3-1 and 3-2 of the ASME B30.3-2004).

 RECORDKEEPING:

 •Employers must maintain a written record of the training for each crane operator, crane operator trainee, signalperson, and rigger, and these records must be maintained for three years.

 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS:

 •An employer must ensure that each time a special lift takes place that a master-lead rigger is available on the site and engaged in the process, including the inspection by the master-lead rigger of the rigging used in the special lift.

 •All rigging used must meet the rigging manufacturer's limitations and requirements.

 •Forty-eight hours prior to the commencement of any special lift, the employer must notify the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, and notice must include the name of the employer, general or managing contractor, type of special lift, site location, specific site within the location, site contact person and phone number, equipment involved, and planned time.

 For more information please go to: http://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/cranes/craneregs.pdf