Construction plays a key role in Illinois’ economy employing 265,000 workers in May 2008. And while this is significantly down (3.1%) from 2007, construction still contributes $24 billion to the states GDP according to AGC of America. Illinois wages also were at the top in the nation with the average construction worker making $55,250. Only Alaska, Hawaii and Massachusetts have higher construction pay. The average pay in the US was just $44,496.

I just received a copy of The Construction Chart Book from the Center for Construction Research and Training that provides an interesting insight into just what a union contractor is today. As you might suspect, Illinois is one of the states with the highest union density in the country. Only Minnesota, New Jersey, Alaska and Hawaii join Illinois with more than 30% of construction performed by union members.

How do the unions compare? Carpenters and Laborers are the largest trades in the country employing 1,622,000 and 1,427,000 respectively. But if you want to find a union tradesman, look at the Ironworkers where fully 61% are union members. Carpenters (13%) and Laborers (11%) are in the lower half of the list.

As we look for the next generation of employees, unfortunately you will probably be looking to hire from your non-union competitors. Today the average union worker is 40.3 years of age, 5 years older than the non-union construction employees. And if you are not concerned about the “baby-boomers” retiring, you’d better be. Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) make up about 50% of all Operating Engineers and Truck Drivers. But of equal concern are construction supervisors and foremen which are 54% and 52% respectively of the baby boom population. If you are not looking for your next generation of on-site supervision, you are already behind.

If you would like a copy of the book, go to www.cpwr.com.

The search for the next Executive Vice President continues. The LCCA Search Committee chaired by Rick Grabowski, Pickus Construction & Equipment, has conducted two rounds of interviews and we hope to have someone on board by October 1. After reviewing over 100 resumes from all over the country, the committee narrowed the search to 10 who were asked to submit further information on their qualifications. From this the list was narrowed to four and interviews were conducted.

Some were called back for an additional interview and the final candidates will appear before the Board before a selection is made. Currently, only one of the final candidates is from the Chicago area and the committee is very pleased with the response and the candidates who chose to apply. Stay tuned!

Other members of the search committee include, Lyle Ehlers, Gary Edwards, Mike Ryan, Steve Thelen and Sue Zupec.

LCCA’s Program Committee is pleased to announce a Meet the Candidates and Oktoberfest Wine and Beer Tasting for our September 25, 2008 Membership Meeting at The Ivanhoe Club in Ivanhoe, Illinois. “We’re really excited to do something different for September,” reports committee chair, Mike Ryan. “With an important election this year, we’ve decided to invite all the candidates for State Senate and House along with County Board districts to come meet LCCA members. This will also give provide members with the opportunity to network after this long summer.” The evening will be informal, providing you the opportunity to meet the candidates you’ll be voting for in the November election. Transportation, economic development and fair contracting will continue to be hot issues in the years to come.

An Oktoberfest Wine and Beer Tasting will also part of the festivities with a tasting of Fall wines and beers. Pictures from the 2008 Winter Workshop trip to Germany, Austria and Hungary will also be shown.

Please note the Membership Meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 8:00 p.m. Let us know how you like this new earlier time frame.

The cost is $50 per person. The registration form is enclosed, or you can go to the LCCA website www.lcca-il.org/events.

LCCA’s September 20, 2008 trip to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin to see the Vintage Stock Car Festival is filling up fast. This promises to be a great day. Both Josh and Bob Boller will be racing so come on out and cheer them on. Registration forms are enclosed, or register via the website at www.lcca-il.org go to the Events page.

Road America is one of the world’s finest and most challenging road courses in the United States. The four-mile, fourteen-turn track is 53 years old and hosts numerous events year round. The event, VSCDA Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival, brings out around 300 vintage race cars from all around America and will cover a wide variety of race cars from pre-war cars and open wheel cars to muscle cars and cam am cars. Races start at 8:00 am and continue throughout the day ending around 5:00 pm with a different race group starting every half hour and qualifying races in the afternoon. Don’t miss the paddock, which is where the cars and drivers are available when they are not on the track. Spectators are free to get up-close to the cars and meet the drivers. Don’t forget to bring a camera! For more information on the track please visit the website www.roadamerica.com.

The cost is $45 per person and includes your track ticket and lunch with the Bollers. Don’t miss this exciting, one-of-a-kind event!

Now is the time to start putting together the documentation for that special project you completed in the last 12 months. The LCCA APEX Awards Program will recognize a project in the Lake County area (Lake County or any county touching Lake County) built by LCCA members. Remember, ANY project completed in the last year in Lake County or a contiguous county is eligible -- be it a road, utility, excavation or building. Entry forms have been mailed. If you have misplaced yours, just call the LCCA Office.

Eligibility - The Project of the Year Award will be presented to a Lake County area project completed within the last 12 months. Nominees may be submitted by any LCCA member associated with the project. Any type of construction project is eligible for the award – building, road, utility, etc. – large or small – new construction or rehab.

Judging Criteria - Entries will be judged on:

• Quality of construction
• Design/Engineering
• Impact on the community
• Spirit of cooperation among parties
• Safety record

NEW INFORMATION: When you sign up for this trip you will have the opportunity to sign up for additional full and half-day excursions, including: rafting in the Corobici or Colorado River, zip lining through the rain forest canopy just like the howler monkeys do, a tour of Costa Rica on an all terrain vehicle (ATV), horseback riding through the Guanacaste forest, deep sea fishing, and, of course, SHOPPING.

Date: January 10-15, 2009
Location: Occidental Grand, Papagayo, Costa Rica

The 5 Star Occidental Grand Papagayo inspires guests to both extremes of the activities spectrum. Everyone is covered, from down time in a poolside chaise lounge offering total relaxation to excursions for the more adventurous.

The 2008 trip to Cancun was a great success and we look forward to another exciting trip with ASA members. Meet new friends and renew old acquaintances this year in Costa Rica. Space is limited so make your plans soon. Airlines are starting to add fuel surcharges. Be sure to make your reservation ASAP to ensure the lowest airline rates. Also, book before September 12^th and save $25 per person.

September 3, 2008 Future Leaders Committee LCCA Office, 3:00 p.m.                      September 10, 2008 Safety Committee LCCA Office, 12:00 p.m. September 20, 2008 Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival Elkhart Lake, WI 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

September 4, 2008 Membership Committee LCCA Office, 12:00 p.m. September 11, 2008 Governors/Directors LCCA Office, 12:00 p.m. September 24, 2008 Education Committee LCCA Office, 12:00 p.m.

September 25
Membership Meeting
The Ivanhoe Club
"Oktoberfest -
Meet The Candidates and
Wine & Beer Tasting"

November 7
Annual Awards Banquet
The Ivanhoe Club

Carpenters - Laborers Bond List - Ever wonder if the company with which you are about to sign a subcontract has a valid wage and benefit bond posted with the Carpenters or Laborers? We can help by sending you updates so you will know when bonds are cancelled and reinstated.

But why do you need to know this information? According to many labor agreements, you are responsible for the payment of all wages and fringe benefits for any subcontractor who does not have a valid bond posted. Every month the Carpenters and Laborers send an updated list to MARBA of contractors who have bonds cancelled or reinstated. MARBA then sends us the list. Knowing if you have subcontractors working for you who have a bond cancelled will put you on notice that you might be liable if a problem arises. Certainly justification for a call to the sub to see what is happening.

Currently, about 20 members receive the updates. If you are not getting the list, just call Lisa at the LCCA Office.

Sampson Leads Jurisdictional Disputes Seminar – Rick Samson, Ogletree, Deakins, conducted a seminar last month to help contractors negotiate their way through the jurisdiction minefield created by conflicting jurisdictional claims and the subcontractor clauses that unions use to enforce their jurisdiction. Mr. Samson reviewed several strategies for handling disputes – both from the general contractor and subcontractor point of view. Several current jurisdictional disputes were reviewed with the latest updates for handling these issues. And current union strategies to enforce jurisdiction along with counter strategies were also discussed.

Mr. Samson also provided an excellent handout for attendees that will be helpful for any contractor interested in more information. The handout is available for just $20 from the LCCA Office. Call (847) 623-2345 x5 for Sherry and get your copy today.

Small Highway Bill Dead – The Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill that would provide authorization to meet state matches on a few highway and transit projects. The bill would have provided $240 million for highways and $120 million for transit. But as is typical these days in Springfield, what one chamber proposes, the other opposes. Last week, the Senate declined to consider the bill leaving it dead in the water.

Emil Jones To Retire – Senate President Emil Jones has announced that he is retiring from the Senate. In the mold of the Strogers and several other politicians, he is proposing his son to replace him! Of more interest is who will take over as Senate President. Due to his senior position in the Senate, State Senator Terry Link will be one of those considered. But November elections and much political maneuvering remain before a final choice is made.

ICIC Legislative Wrap-Up – The spring legislative session ended (and the summer session started) with little action on our issues. Of the 20 highest priority issues, only two bills passed. I guess many would expect this with a Democrat House, Senate and Governor, but according to Mike Carrigan, President of the Illinois AFL-CIO, not one labor initiated bill passed either. So this session was good for – absolutely no one (unless your name was Madigan, Jones or Blagojevich)

The Capital Bill got the most attention but even after the Illinois Works Coalition, on which ICIC served, voted to support a $34 billion plan, and the Senate approved the plan 51-1, the House refused to consider the bill.

In other action, House Bill 2254 did pass both houses and is awaiting the Governor’s signature (maybe). This bill authorizes the CDB to contract with a single prime contractor for projects over $20 million (up from $250,000) with prior approval from the Procurement Policy Board.

Clean Water Coalition Update – The Clean Water Construction Coalition that LCCA is a member of, is scheduled to meet on October 3^rd in Milwaukee to discuss the future of Clean Water Funding in Washington. Several issues are on the table including:

• 2009 Wastewater/Water Appropriations
• The reauthorization of the EPA State Revolving Fund program, and
• Funding for small Public Drinking Water Systems

When Congress reconvenes after the elections, the hard budget questions will be on everybody’s mind. It is the goal of the Coalition to make sure that Clean Water funding is a part of the mix.

The Capital Development Board (CDB) is in the process of updating their manuals and LCCA has a copy of the proposed changes for any interested member. Documents involved include:

To get an electronic copy of any of these documents, contact Gary at the LCCA Office.

August 7^th was the perfect day for LCCA’s Annual Golf Outing. The golf course staff made the event flow smoothly and the food was outstanding. Once again, Scott Nelson, H.H. Holmes Testing, did a masterful job as event Chairman.

A low score of 56 bested the field in the annual Scramble Tournament matching last year’s score for the Low Gross Award. Winners were:

1^st Place – Pickus Construction Co. - 56
Rick Grabowski – Pickus Construction Co.
Nancy Grabowski
Bryan Grabowski
Kristy Grabowski

2^nd Place – Local 150 I.U.O.E. - 57
John Jasinski – Local 150 I.U.O.E.
John P. Jasinski – Local 150 I.U.O.E.
Bob Darling – Local 150 I.U.O.E.
Tim Gorman – Local 150 I.U.O.E.

3^rd Place – Althoff Industries. - 58
Jeff Miller – Althoff Industries
Todd Norgard – Althoff Industries
Mike Evensen – Althoff Industries
Jeff Thorne – Althoff Industries

4^th Place – McClure Engineering - 61
George Reilly – McClure Engineering
Kevin Pelli – McClure Engineering
Bill Bassele – Abbott Labs
Harold Smith – Six Flags

P.A.C. Fund Raiser – Special thanks to H.H. Holmes Testing for hosting a “Beat the Pro” contest on the 2^nd hole. Curtis Nelson, wore himself out and helped raise funds for LCCA’s P.A.C. Just his luck! Daniel Nelson, H.H. Holmes Testing, was the winner of this year’s LCCA P.A.C. Raffle, and took home a 50” flat screen plasma TV. The LCCA P.A.C. was also richer by over $1,100!

Closest to the Pin Prizes – Phil Horvath, Travelers, was closest to the pin on the 2^nd hole and will receive a Home Depot gift card from Lake County Building Trades; John McGovern, Osco Oil, closest on the 8^th hole and was awarded a putter from NorStates Bank; Joe Ungari, Prairie Material, won the 14^th hole and was awarded a Menard’s gift card from MK Industries; and Kristy Grabowski won the 17^th hole and was awarded a Visa gift card from Ozinga Transportation. Congratulations to all our winners!

We had over 200 golfers participate in this year’s event. All the winners and golfers deserve a hearty round of applause for a great event! All our sponsors deserve a BIG THANK YOU for helping us to keep the cost of the outing down and raising the fun! For a complete list of sponsors go to https://www.lcca-il.org/default.aspx and click on the “Thank You 2008 Golf Sponsors” article. We would also like to thank Midlane Golf Resort for their professional attention to details that helped make this year’s event a success. If you have comments on the outing, we would love to hear from you. Call Heidi Diederich at (847) 623-2345 or email heidi@lcca-il.org.