Herald Article: State board compounds economic misery
Op-Ed Appearing in
By Donald Chaisson and Greg Beeman | Friday, November 6, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Op-Ed
The nation’s economy finally began to grow in the third quarter of this year. But the hopeful national economic report makes it even harder to stomach news that the Massachusetts economy shrank yet again.
So did state revenues. As a result, Gov. Deval Patrick announced yet another round of emergency budget cuts and eliminated nearly 1,000 state jobs to plug a $600 million gap.
No sector has been harder hit by the recession than the construction industry. State construction employment plummeted by 18 percent in the past year, compared to a 13 percent national drop.
Metropolitan Boston accounted for the biggest chunk of those losses. There are nearly 12,000 fewer construction jobs in the area than there were a year ago.
A bleak construction employment picture makes the actions of a new state board even more inexcusable. The Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers recently voted to adopt regulations that would cause more layoffs and dramatically hike consumer costs.
Sheet metal is involved almost every time someone works on air conditioning equipment or a furnace, and it’s a big part of the public construction projects funded with your tax dollars.
In sheet metal and other trades, companies routinely have one experienced employee, called a journeyperson, work with each less-experienced apprentice. But the proposed regulations would require three journeyperson sheet metal workers for each apprentice on commercial and large residential jobs.
Under prevailing wage laws that apply to public construction in Massachusetts, a journeyperson sheet metal worker earns about $61 per hour; an apprentice starts at around $24. In this economy, companies will lay off apprentices, not hire more high-wage journeypersons, to comply with the regulations.
Outlandish training requirements would raise costs even further. The board would require up to six years of training to achieve journeyperson status, including 750 hours of classroom time – more than is required for far more complex trades like plumbing and electrical. To give you an idea of how absurd the proposed regulations are, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires just three years of training for licensure to operate a nuclear power plant.
The reason the Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers would vote to adopt such absurd regulations is explained by the five gubernatorial appointees to the seven-member board. Ignoring requirements set out in the law that created the board, Patrick selected three union officials and two executives from union contractors.
The proposed regulations promote two goals. First, they would improve the competitive position of politically wired unions by imposing a bloated union cost structure on the 80 percent of the industry that isn’t unionized. Second, they would protect senior union members by making it difficult for new journeypersons to be licensed.
The proposed regulations must still go through months of public comment and hearings. If sanity isn’t restored before they are finalized, they will stand as a clear example of why Massachusetts continues to lag even as the national economy begins to recover.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view.bg?articleid=1209990
November 6, 2009
A Message from ACCA New England President, Don Chaisson:
2009 has been a challenging year for Air Conditioning contractors, as it has been for all businesses.
We have seen decreases in business and residential spending, resulting in limited opportunities to bid work, increases in costs which strain our cash flow, as well as the implementation of a new Sheet Metal Licensing Law in Massachusetts which will require our businesses to comply with additional rules and regulations.
On the national scene we have the pending “Card Check” legislation, which would strip your employees of their right to a secret ballot should work place elections be held and allow unions to increase their activities; the National Healthcare debate, which will ultimately add costs; Stimulus Spending, an opportunity; Cap and Trade Legislation; Energy Tax Credits; and DOE Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program; the list is long.
And talk about climate change — the business climate for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration contractors has never been so fraught with peril and so ripe of opportunities.
ACCA New England’s Board is working hard to make us the best organization to serve the needs of the professional HVAC & R contractor. We ask that you participate fully, and help us realize that goal.
Whether a member or a guest, we urge you to attend our October 21st Dinner meeting in Westborough. If there is a time for Air Conditioning professionals to join together, it is now.
If you are involved in this industry, you need to be involved in this organization. As we plan for 2010 and beyond, it is essential we work together and speak as one voice, for the betterment and improvement of our industry. We seek fairness in regulation and in opportunities.
Donald H. Chaisson
2009/2010 President, ACCA New England Chapter
October 14, 2009
ACCA Accepting Applications for 2010 Contractors of the Year
How would you like to tell your customers that you’re a nationally-recognized Contractor of the Year? Learn more about ACCA’s revamped award program, including how easy it is to throw your business’s hat into the ring.
The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the nation’s largest association of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) contractors, has revamped its Contractors of the Year program to be more beneficial to member participants. An application for the 2010 Contractors of the Year program is available now on ACCA’s website, and has been designed to make it easier for contractors to nominate themselves for the innovative ways in which they conduct business.
Applications for the program will be accepted until November 13, 2009. (more…)
October 12, 2009
Golf Tournament Photos
October 12, 2009
ACCA’s October Meeting: Why What Happens in Washington Matters to the HVACR Industry
October Dinner Meeting:
Wednesday, October 21 – 5:30 pm
Doubletree Hotel, Westborough, MA
October Meeting Sponsored by:
The October meeting will begin with an overall update on the status of Sheet Metal Licensing in Mass. ACCA’s own Don Chaisson and Ivan Quinchia of Air Purchases, Inc. have helped keep ACCA at the forefront of this issue. They will provide an update on our activities and the current status of the regulations being put forth by the Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers. Register to Attend Using this Form (click)
Following this update, the meeting will feature our special guest speaker from Washington:
The new Congress and Obama Administration have set a very different policy agenda from the Bush years, and it certainly will impact the HVACR industry and its small business contractors.
Cap and Trade proposals, Health Care Reform, and Card Check Legislation may be just the beginning. With such an ambitious agenda, big changes from Capitol Hill could dramatically impact the way you do business unless our unique industry makes its voice heard in Washington. And let’s not forget the regulatory process. The Department of Energy is gearing up changes to the minimum SEER ratings for central air conditioners and heat pumps, along with potential regional standards for all HVAC equipment.
ACCA NE is pleased to welcome ACCA’s Washington-based VP of Government Affairs, Charlie McCrudden as our guest speaker for the October meeting. Attend to learn how to get what you want from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government by being an effective citizen lobbyist. Your input can make a difference in deciding what kind of policies come out of Washington. (more…)
October 5, 2009
Harold Albert Rohloff, Rest in Peace
September 16th, 2009
Longtime ACCA Member and Friend, Harold Albert Rohloff, of Woodstock, Connecticut died on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at the age of 67. Harold was the beloved husband of Margaret (Hogan) Rohloff. In addition to his wife Margaret, Harold left two sons, Harold Andrew Rohloff of Woodstock; John Michael Rohloff and his wife Nicki of Westborough, MA; two beloved granddaughters Meghan Katherine Rohloff and Rylie Elizabeth Rohloff; and two sisters Claire Miller of Bloomsbury, NJ; and Alice Kendrick of Midlothian, VA.
Harold was born in Dover, NJ, on September 21, 1941, son of Harold Alfred and Margaret (Grether) Rohloff. (more…)
October 2, 2009
ACCA Conference: Need a Reason? Here are 20!
There are plenty of reasons to attend the 42nd Annual ACCA Conference and Indoor Air Expo, but here’s the thing—you’re not going to know which one is the most important for your business until you come. Will you meet a supplier on the Expo floor that gives you a new business solution you hadn’t known about? Will you attend a session from a top-notch presenter that drives your revenue growth into an area you’ve never considered? You’ll just have to attend to find out.
Here are 20 reasons you should make your plans to join the nation’s top contractors March 7-9 in Tampa, Fla.:
1. ACCA is the only contractor training conference whose program is designed by contractors! Our program is set by a survey of ACCA members who tell us what topics they want to know more about. We find the right contractors and experts who can share real-world knowledge about the subjects you want to know about.
2. More than 25 exciting breakout sessions taught by leading HVACR industry contractors and experts will help you take home information you can actually use. (more…)
October 1, 2009
ACCA Annual Conference & Indoor Air Expo – The Big Picture
March 7 – 9, 2009
Tampa, FL
Have a look at the last time ACCA went to Florida…. Don’t miss it!
Want to attend?
Email the ACCA New England Chapter.
Now through December 1, we are coordinating a Chapter Group Registration for special discounts.
September 22, 2009
Herald Article: Sheet Metal Board Appointments
The following article appeared in the Boston Herald on September 12, 2009.
Gov. Deval Patrick stacks state board
Shared via AddThis
Gov. Patrick stacks state board
Critics: Sheet-metal panel members all pro-union
By Christine McConville | Saturday, September 12, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com
Gov. Deval Patrick is at it again – stacking a state board with one-sided appointments in violation of the law, critics say.
Non-union sheet-metal installers are so mad that all of Patrick’s appointees to an industry licensing board are pro-union that they plan to take the matter to court.
They also say that new rules proposed by the pro-union board will drive the cost of sheet-metal work through the roof.
The state established its sheet-metal licensing board last year after two (more…)
September 15, 2009
2009 Golf Tournament
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Present the
2009 ACCA New England Golf Tournament
Thank you to all who made the 2009 Tournament a
Great Success.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Stow Acres Country Club, Stow, MA
Titanium Sponsors:
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Gold Sponsors:
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Golf Carts Sponsor:
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Beverage Cart/Drink Tickets Sponsor:
September 7, 2009
Heat Start-up
Tuesday, October 13
6:00 – 9:00 pm
at Lennox in Wilmington
Through Lennox Industries, ACCA is pleased to once again offer the popular Heat Start-up class. (One night class.)
Avoid unnecessary call backs. Bill Dove of Lennox will present a down- to-basics review to help technicians understand the parameters of the system at start up. Ideal for Installers, Service Technicians, Salesmen, Managers, Apprentices.
The class will cover:
■ service professionalism basics;
■ annual heat check essentials;
■ gas and oil burner set-up requirements;
■ corrections for common problems involving warm air and hot water gas or oil applications.
Cost: $29 Members $49 Non members
Limited to first 30 students. Pizza dinner included.
Register using this form: Heat startup Oct09
September 5, 2009
Selling with Tax Credits
By Adams Hudson,
Hudson, Ink.
HVAC contractors have an unparalleled advantage this year (and next) to make the installation of a top-of-the-line home comfort system the most logical decision a homeowner could make.
You’ve heard the news. As a part of the economic stimulus legislation enacted in February, the federal government is allowing a tax credit of 30 percent on the purchase of new, highly efficient air conditioners, heat pumps and furnaces. This is three times more than the tax credit available last year, and it goes through 2010.
Just to be clear – for those who pay taxes, a tax credit is better than a tax deduction. It actually reduces the amount of tax that you must pay, which means that we’re actually talking about a $1,500 discount on a new system. The tax credit can easily be translated into real dollars and an irrefutable bargaining chip for HVAC marketing and sales.
Other useful links:
July 26, 2009
