Author: Sharon Spare

OUR 53RD YEAR CONTRA COSTA CHAPTER October 2016

POLITICO ALERT
www.PoliticoOnline.com “Connecting you to California”
1127 11th St., Suite 747 / Sacramento, CA 95814 / (916) 444-3770/ FAX (916) 442-6437

Governor Brown Signs AB 626
Public Works Change Order Reform Becomes Reality!!!
On September 29, 2016, Governor Brown signed AB 626 our “change order” reform legislation. The NECA sponsored measure implements a fair and responsible process, that requires agencies to respond to a contractor’s claim for “extra work” timely, pay the undisputed portions of claims and provides a path for expedited settlement of disputed claims.
The new law will take effect January 1, 2017
and will apply to all contracts entered into on or after that date.
Our continued success in Sacramento is a reflection of your support. Congratulations on this triumph!
A copy of the new law can be found below:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB626

A number of our members and key non-bargaining personnel worked with the tools at the beginning of their careers. If you are one of those individuals and you worked for NECA-IBEW employers, you should also check with the National Electrical Benefit Fund to verify your accrued years of service and your estimated benefits at retirement.
The NEBF recently developed an Online Benefits Portal, which is very easy to use and will quickly give you your service credits by year and your estimated benefits at retirement. Start to finish it takes about five minutes, and we highly recommend you set up an account and check it each year at the same time you review your Social Security Information.
Online Benefits Portal

From time to time we remind you that the Social Security Administration is no longer mailing statements showing your earnings history and projecting your SSA benefits. You need to retrieve the information online at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/. If you have not already done so, take a few minutes to set up your account. At least once a year you should verify that your earnings history is accurate and that someone else is not reporting under your number.
Equally important, you should keep an eye on your projected benefits, and how they change from year to year.

Keeping Your Eye on the Target

And, While You are At It . . .

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Final Rule
Requiring Federal Contractors to Provide Workers
Access to Paid Sick Leave
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule today to a NECA-opposed Executive Order requiring federal contractors to provide paid sick leave (not less than one (1) hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked) to employees who work on or in connection with certain federal contracts. The rule will allow these workers to use paid leave if they are sick, need to take care of a sick family member or must see a doctor or take a family member to a medical appointment. Workers may also use paid sick leave for reasons related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.
The final rule applies to all covered contracts solicited and awarded on or after January 1, 2017.
NECA is currently reviewing the final rule to fully determine the impact on our contractors who perform federal work. Based on our initial read of the 466-page rule, please note the following provisions:
Contractors shall provide pay and benefits for paid sick leave used no later than one pay period following the end of the regular pay period in which the paid sick leave was taken.
Prime contractors and upper-tier subcontractors shall be responsible for the compliance by any subcontractor or lower-tier subcontractor.
The rule does NOT excuse noncompliance with or supersede any applicable Federal or State law, any applicable law or municipal ordinance, or a collective bargaining agreement requiring greater paid sick leave or leave rights than those established under the Order – Essentially, our contractors, even though they are parties to collective bargaining agreements, must comply with the minimum requirements of the rule. The Federal rule sets the minimum bar for paid sick leave. If a state or local law requires a contractor provide the equivalent 56 hours of leave or exceeds that amount, the contractor is view to be in compliance.

Failure to comply with the requirements of this clause may be grounds for termination of the right to proceed with the contract work. In such event, the Government may enter into other contracts or arrangements for completion of the work, charging the contractor in default with any additional cost. A breach of the contract clause may be grounds for debarment as a contractor and subcontractor.
Contractors must maintain, and make available to the Federal Wage and Hour Division, for a period no less than three (3) years from the completion of the work on the contract, records containing paid sick leave information.
Contractors shall flow-down this requirement in all of its covered subcontracts and shall require its subcontractors to include this clause in any covered lower-tier subcontracts.
The final rule implements Executive Order 13706, signed by President Obama on Sept. 7, 2015. According to a statement by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, when fully implemented, the final rule will:
Provide up to 56 hours of paid sick leave per year to an estimated 1.15 million employees of federal contractors, including an estimated 594,000 employees who currently receive no paid sick leave.
Ensure that employers have choices in how to best adapt the paid sick leave requirement to their businesses. For example, employers can choose to allow workers to accrue leave over time, or to frontload leave for ease of administration.
Include flexibilities related to integration with employers’ existing paid time off policies and leave provisions in existing collective bargaining agreements.
Improve the health and performance of employees of covered federal contractors and brings benefits packages offered by those federal contractors in line with leading firms, ensuring they remain competitive in the search for dedicated and talented employees.
Protect the public health by ensuring that covered federal contractors’ employees, customers and clients are able to stay home when they are sick.
For more official details, please visit the DOL web site and read “Fact Sheet: Final Rule to Implement Executive Order 13706, Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors,” and Frequently Asked Questions available at http://www.dol.gov/whd/govcontracts/eo13706/.

PUBLIC WORKS
Electrical Construction Jobs
Contra Costa County, California
2007-2016

By Dollar Value

Notes: Invitational Bid Information Became Public Information in 2015.
2016 Totals based on projects awarded to date .

Architecture Billings
Index Slips, Overall Remains Positive . . . read more.

August ABI 49.7
Any score above 50 indicates an increase and score below indicates a decline.

Synergy / eLinks
NECA Convention Website	Government Inaction is Hampering Economic Growth	Newest Products featured at NECA Trade Show
2014 NEC Code Changes	UC Berkeley Ices Richmond Campus	National NECA and Seraphim's Solar Deal (CA, NV)

CONTRA COSTA CHAPTER 1024 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553 (925) 372-3222 www.ccneca.org

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat

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2	3	4	5	6	7 / NECA 2016 Boston 7th-10th	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17 Retirement Trust 2:30 p.m. Training Center Martinez	18 S & C Apprentice Interviews 9:00 a.m. Training Center Martinez	19	20	21	22
23 / 30	24 / 31	25	26	27	28 Electrical Industry Trust Prima’s 11:45 a.m.	29

Keeping Your Eye on the Target
From time to time we remind you that the Social Security Administration is no longer mailing our statements showing your earnings history and projecting your SSA benefits. You need to retrieve the information online at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/. It will take a few minutes to set up your account, but you should verify that your earnings history is accurate (and that someone else is not reporting under your number).
Equally important, you should keep an eye on your projected benefits, and how they change from year to year,

September 5, 2016
Labor Day, a holiday recognized under all of our Agreements with IBEW, will be observed on Monday, September 5, 2016. Our Inside Wireman Agreement and the Sound and Communication Agreement specifically prohibit any work from being performed on Labor Day, except in the case of an emergency.
You should also be aware that Friday, September 2, is a “Carpenters Off-Day” under the Inside Wireman and the Sound and Communication Agreement.
History of Labor Day

September 2016

Joey Shorter
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Understanding Employer Reporting Requirements of the health care law Compliance Assistance from Benesys ACA related forms IRS Preliminary Guidance on Cadillac Tax Requirements Memo from NECA Regarding ACA