California Conference of Mason Contractor Associations, Inc.

Oakland – The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) announces the Jan. 1 launch of the newly created Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF). LETF is a collaborative effort between state agencies to combat the underground economy and to improve California’s business environment where legitimate employers can thrive. 

The primary partners of the LETF include DIR, the Employment Development Department, Contractor’s State License Board, Board of Equalization, and the Bureau of Automotive Repair. LETF will also collaborate with the Department of Insurance, the Attorney General and Local District Attorneys, and others in affected communities.  LETF will help ensure that workers’ rights are protected and that hard-working, compliant business owners have an opportunity for healthy competition in California.  

“The goal of LETF is to ensure fair and safe working conditions in all workplaces and promote a level playing field for employers through education and...

CONTRACTOR ALERT!
Two (2) Important Regulations Go Into Effect with the New Year

Mandatory State Regulations for Public Works Projects and Diesel Regulations for Heavier Trucks (GVWR >26,000 lbs.)
Become Effective January 1, 2012 In the November 8, 2010 edition of CCMCA News-at-a-Glance (http://www.ccmca.org/attachments/article/132/Vol_32_NAAG_Nov_8.pdf), we reported that the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) had suspended the operations of its newly-formed labor compliance entity, the Compliance Monitoring Unit (CMU) due to legal questions surrounding the method by which fees were to be paid to the CMU.  Those questions have now been resolved and the CMU begins operations on January 1, 2012.

The CMU is a new unit within the Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement (DLSE) created to monitor and enforce prevailing wage requirements on public works projects that are legally...

With the nation’s legislative landscape dominated by health care reform and relatively stable workers’ compensation rates in 2010, workers’ compensation fell off the radar screen. However, a more careful review points to challenging times in the years ahead. Here are 11 issues that bear watching. 1.  Declines in frequency of claims slowing
According to insurers, the long-term trend of declining claims frequency (claims filed per employer payroll) is flattening. This is significant because declining trends that started in 1991 have helped counter rising medical costs driven by the severity of claims and increased utilization. It’s too early to determine the reasons or permanency of the shift, and it could be a temporary blip caused by employers cutting back on safety initiatives. On the other hand, a strengthening job market could mean hiring employees who are less experienced and more prone to injuries. 2.  Injured employees are staying out of work longer
The National...

Sacramento, CA – Starting next year, all construction apprentices in California will receive instruction on green building practices as a component of their training. The California Apprenticeship Council (CAC) today approved integration of environmental components into minimum industry training criteria for the building construction trades apprenticeship programs, with full support from the construction industry. The Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DIR/DAS) was instrumental in working with the 23 trades to create the criteria.
“California is poised for success in the greening of commercial and residential construction,” said DIR Director John C. Duncan. “This move will help California’s workforce gain the skill-set needed to satisfy green building standards.” With today’s adoption of the new training criteria, apprenticeship programs in the building construction trades statewide will have one year to update their standards...

The California Apprenticeship Council has again amended the apprentice dispatch requirements on California public works projects.  Effective November 16, 2011, 8 C.C.R. section 230.1(a) was amended to include the following language:

Except for projects with less than 40 hours of journeyman work, each request for apprentice dispatch shall be for not less than an 8 hour day per each apprentice, or 20% of the estimated apprenticeship hours to be worked for an employer in a particular craft or trade on a project, whichever is greater, unless an employer can provide written evidence, upon request of the committee dispatching the apprentice or the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, that circumstances beyond the employer’s control prevent this from occurring.

The Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) has indicated that, for enforcement purposes, the amendment will apply to projects bid on or after November 16, 2011.  The DAS has also indicated that it plans to...

The top construction project management applications, designed to improve collaboration, and keep projects on-time & on-budget. As the construction industry moves toward BIM and integrated project delivery (IPD), project management systems that utilize cloud computing and encourage collaboration will become vital to a project’s success. The systems mentioned below improve transparency and efficiency at all levels of the project, while reducing printing and shipping costs. ACONEX: Aconex is a leading online project collaboration platform designed to improve the management of the project for all of the companies involved. All participants in the project can access, track and manage information pertaining to a project. The platform also works well in conjunction with other software systems, making it easily incorporated into any business. Most recently, teams from all over the world who were involved with Singapore’s Marina Bay Sand integrated resort project used Aconex to manage...

Industry Fund President's Letter
http://www.ccmca.org/memberonly/Industry_Fund_Presidents_Letter_1-12-11.pdf Industry Fund Presentation (flash)
http://www.ccmca.org/memberonly/Industry_Fund_Presentation_2011.htm Industry Fund Presentation (Powerpoint)
http://www.ccmca.org/memberonly/Industry_Fund_Presentation_2011.ppt