OSHA POLICY HAS BEEN UPHELD
On Feb. 26, 2009, a three-judge panel in the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overturned a previous decision on the multi-employer citation policy. This decision could affect all of us, not just the construction industry.
If we as manufacturers hire a general contractor to do construction work on our facility, we are now responsible for not only our own employee but the general contractor and any sub-contractors they may hire. This will impose undue and unpredictable burdens on us and the general contractor. It also makes it confusing as who is responsible for the safety of workers. It is possible that we could receive a citation for people we do not control, have not trained, and may not meet our hiring standards and disciplinary policies. Manufacturers try very hard to keep their place of employment a safe working environment—but how can we be responsible for people when we do not do the safety training for these non-employees?
The court interpretation of 29 CFR 1910.12(a) “does not preclude the Secretary’s controlling employer citation policy.” This interpretation allows OSHA to cite all employers, if any of the employees on site are not following OSHA Regulations no mater what company they work for.
Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) on Jan. 22 introduced the National Commission on State Workers’ Compensation Law Act of 2009 (H.R. 635). Because workers’ comp is run by each state, the bill would create a commission to determine if a state’s compensation laws are an “adequate, prompt, and equitable system of compensation.” The idea is to have all workers’ compensation throughout the U.S. the same. This could take away gains we have made in improving fairness of our state’s system and take away our ability to continue to make improvements to the system through our local lawmakers.
There is a good chance our Workers’ Compensation Insurance cost will go up if this bill is passed and that certainly will not help either the employee or the employer. The idea of having “one policy for all” will not work as the environment in each state is different.
FCMA Welcomes Our New Members!
BBVA Compass
Contact: Brian Gibson, VP Commercial Banking
Phone: 904-564-8614
10060 Skinner Lake Drive,
Jacksonville, FL 32246
Full service banking.
CLVL Solutions, LLC
Contact: Art Mendenhall, FL Director
Phone: 770-365-1198
1200 Abernathy Road, Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30328
Assists C-Level executives to more effectively manage operational and insurance related matters. The company’s founders have served in these capacities and their experience has been heavily weighted toward delivering innovative savings to mid-size and Fortune 200 firms.
Courtney Consulting Solutions
Contact: Erica Courtney, President
Phone: 904-371-1938
841 Prudential Drive, 12th Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32207
We specialize in bridging the gap between business and government by providing expert advice and implementation in the areas of government contracts, business planning and green initiatives. We help small to mid size-established businesses grow.
Summit Electrical Contractors
Contact: Gary Pate, Operations/Safety Manager
Phone: 904-741-4898 x228
13790 Ranch Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
We provide the highest degree of quality for industrial/commercial electrical contracting.
Rayonier Earnings Beat Expectations!
Rayonier Inc, a Jacksonville-based real estate, timber and cellulose fiber company, announced better than expected earnings on April 30.
The company’s sale of performance fiber was one of the main factors that helped it offset losses due to the housing market. Performance fibers, which are used in products including LCD screens and disposable diapers, have been the strongest growth segment for the company in recent years.
“The benefits of our business mix were clear as we continued to generate good cash flow, despite persistent weakness in the housing market,” CEO Lee Thomas said. “We experienced solid demand for our performance fibers products and non-strategic timberlands, which partially offset the softness in our timber business.”
Rayonier is a current member of FCMA’s Board of Directors.
Fleet Readiness Center Southeast’s… Pollution Prevention (P2) Team has been awarded the Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of the Navy Environmental awards for FY07 and FY08. The efforts of the team have resulted in annual hazardous waste reduction of more than 600,000 pounds, saving more than $550,000 per year. They also implemented filtration recycling systems on 11 cleaning rinse tanks to reduce the need for water treatment of over one million gallons of water per year. A vapor degreaser was installed that saves 160,000 gallons of water per year while providing greater cleaning performance and production capacity.
Waste Management… Gov. Crist appointed Karen Stern to the Northeast Florida Regional Council.
Akerman Senterfitt… welcomes Monesia Taylor Brown as Of Counsel.
Harden & Associates… promoted Natalie Johns to account executive in commercial insurance and rehired Jodi Hernandez as a senior marketing account manger.
UniFirst… is pleased to announce that the following individuals will be taking on new roles with the company: Barbie Liebler, Sales Representative; Nathan Yonutas, Sales Representative; Ashley Pope, Senior Sales Consultant.
Verizon Wireless… appointed Beth O’Quinn to retail district manager for North Florida.
40 Under 40… The following FCMA members were recognized as part of the Jacksonville Business Journal’s recent 40 under 40 list…
- Aerostar - Chris McNees
- BBVA Compass Bank - Laura Head Gonzales
- Broadbased Communications - Maria Coppola
- CSX Transportation - Stephanie White
- Grubb & Ellis/Phoenix Realty - Heather Predilleto
- Smith Hulsey & Busey - Charmaine Chiu
- Suntrust Bank - Emily Weis Dawkins
Congrats to Golf Tournament Winners!
More than 100 FCMA members and guests came out for our annual charity golf tournament on April 20th, helping to raise money for our UNF Engineering School scholarship program. The event was a major success for FCMA and provided an excellent opportunity for networking and fellowship for those attending.
Member companies who played in this year’s tournament include: A-Jax Company, Atlantic Marine, Auld & White, Berman Brothers, Cintas Corporation, CLVL Solutions LLC, Colomer USA, Florida Rock Industries, Georgia Pacific, Geosyntec Consultants, Golder Associates, Heritage Capital Group, Jo-Kell Inc., Metro Property Services, MJ Wood Company, Pilot Pen, Quality Sign Company, Rogers Towers, Ronco Group, Southland Waste, Spectrum Logistics, Swisher International, SWS Response Team, UniFirst, Vac-Con, Waste Management, WhiteWave, and WJ Sapp.
Congratulations to all of our winners and a major thank you to everyone who participated and helped to make FCMA’s 2009 Charity Golf Tournament such a big success!
First place went to Southland Waste…
Our second place winner was Pilot Pen…
In third place was Waste Management…
Neil Hancock of Golder Associates, pictured on the left, was the lucky winner of this year’s first-ever Wine-A-Polooza drawing!
Neil took home quite a collection of some very nice wines.
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HOLE SPONSORS WINE-A-POLOOZA DONORS |
SILENT AUCTION, GOODY BAGS, AND PRIZES Auld & White Bacardi CB Richard Ellis Clements Publishing Coastal Industries Colomer USA Complete Benefit Solutions Enduris Gallagher Benefit Gallagher Benefit Great Atlantic Outfitters Henry’s Hickory Holland & Knight Holland &Knight JU Kelly Services Lean Consortium Marsh Creek Maxwell House Metro Property Services Paramount Pilot Pen Pine Castle Presser Lahnen Safe-Lite Optical Shaw’s Southern Belle SingleSource Southland Waste Systems Spectrum Logistics Spectrum Logistics Suncoast Industrial Swisher International Turner Pest Control Turner Pest Control UNF UniFirst Unishippers Wachovia WJ Sapp Wyle Laboratories |
FCMA’S 2009 GOLF COMMITTEE (pictured above)
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Jeff Nelson, Chairman Dan Davis, Assistant Chair Kal Patel Preston Picard Stephanie Denz Sarah Sanders Charlie Moore Patrick Pennell Greg Wellstead Dan Heald Kristi Bolton Susan Wright Debbie Mahanay Amanda Osborne |
CB Richard Ellis Metro Proptery Services Aerotek Aerotek Gallagher Benefit Services Kelly Services, Inc. Southland Waste Systems Southland Waste Systems Spectrum Logistics SunCoast Industrial The Ronco Group Turner Pest Control Unishippers Wachovia |
Gerdau Ameristeel Welcomed FCMA!
Gerdau Ameristeel, FCMA’s Manufacturer of the Year and Florida’s only steel mill, played host to our General Meeting on April 28th. Members who attended the event were treated to a tour of manufacturing on a GRAND scale!
Many thanks to Metro Property Services (Dan Davis, President) for sponsoring the refreshments.
Following are a few photos from the event…
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FCMA Holds “Card Check” Workshop
Pat Hill (Smith Gambrell & Russell) & John Duvall (Ford & Harrison) delivered a great presentation to a packed training room at Kelly Services on April 22nd, during FCMA’s Employee Free Choice Act workshop.
The EFCA, also known as card check or majority sign-up, is a method for American employees to organize into a labor union when a majority of employees in a bargaining unit sign authorization forms, or “cards”, stating they wish to be represented by the union. A Union-Awareness Training would be suggested to your current Supervisors and Managers because of the critical role they play in maintaining union-free status. All levels of management should be trained in union avoidance skills and techniques so they can identify union activity, and respond effectively.
Successful communication is the key, talk to your employees!
Gov’t Relations Visits Nassau Commission!
On April 14, the FCMA Government Relations committee traveled to Nassau County for the third in their series of meetings with local county commissioners. These meetings have given FCMA the opportunity to educate our local commissioners on the issues of greatest concern to our industry, while at the same time allowing our members to learn more about the challenges that face these local governments.
This month’s excursion to Nassau County, much like the previous meetings with Clay and St. Johns commissioners, was wildly successful. Pictured below are Mike Bell, Rayonier (our lunch sponsor), County Commission Chairman Barry Holloway, County Commissioner Stacy Johnson, and Government Relations committee Chairman Blair Wygle.
FCMA’s Annual Wage Survey
The First Coast Manufacturers Association has begun conducting our annual wage and benefit survey for local manufacturers. If you are a manufacturer and would like to participate in this year’s survey, click here to download the form.
Email all responses no later than June 26 to information@fcmaweb.com.
Survey results should be available by August and will be furnished to all survey participants free of charge.
If you prefer, you may print out only those pages completed and return by mail or fax to:
First Coast Manufacturers Association
4215 Southpoint Blvd., Suite #140
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Fax (904) 296-9644
Remember–the information you report will be treated with the strictest of confidence. Results will be published in
summary only and no individual company information will be divulged. Please give us your comments on how we
may improve this survey.
FREE LUNCH from the EHS Committee
Attention Associate Members of the EHS Committee! You will receive your lunch for free and your Manufacturing member guest’s lunch, when you bring an FCMA Manufacturer who has not previously attended an EHS Committee meeting or has not attended within the past year.
In addition, your name will go into a drawing for a door prize for all Associates helping to increase manufacturing’s participation.
For a schedule of EHS Committee Meetings, click here.
- An Open Letter to President Obama - From the U.S. Business and Industry Council: “To date, your economic team’s approach seems to be trillions for banks, but hardly a dime for manufacturing. You save wrong-doing financial houses from failure, but send good-faith, if sometimes poorly run, manufacturing companies into bankruptcy — a formula for disaster.”
- Create ‘Interlock’ - In her 20 years as a procurement manager and management consultant, Nancy McGuire has seen too many organizations fall into the trap of using purchasing as little more than “the order-placer for early-prototype and development requirements.” Such an approach is fraught with peril. Without purchasing’s early involvement in the R&D process, manufacturers run the risk of having to switch suppliers in midstream — which can increase development costs and eat into valuable time-to-market.
- The Changing Face of Automation - “To me [automation] is a key way to battle against foreign imports,” says company president Mike Nowak, a founder of the Wrightstown, Wis.-based packaging company formed in 1997. “It has let us keep our business growing. It’s been a key to our growth. We have to keep getting more efficient.” Indeed, even as the economy flags, Nowak’s company continues to invest in new production equipment. He is even contemplating opening an additional manufacturing plant.
- Manufacturing Confidence is Up, Slightly - U.S. manufacturing executives are slightly more optimistic about the U.S. economy than previously reported, according to the first quarter edition of the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Manufacturing Barometer released April 29.
- Alenia Could Pull Out of Cecil Deal - A plane manufacturer could pull out of plans to build a facility in Jacksonville if the U.S. military reduces the number of C-27J Spartans it orders. The Hill, a congressional newspaper, reports that unnamed sources say Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ yet-to-be-released budget calls for buying 38 planes instead of 78 from Alenia North America, a part of Italy-based Finmeccanica SpA. “This is all just media reports and rumors, but it certainly seems to me there is something to them,” said Ben Stone, Alenia spokesman. “If there is a significant reduction, Alenia will take a hard look on whether to establish a facility in Jacksonville.”
- Cash4Gold’s Rush - A Pompano Beach company has emerged as one of the country’s highest-volume gold dealers by capitalizing on many consumers’ desire to turn their jewelry into cash.
Next Meeting Will Be MONDAY MAY 18th!
Our next General Meeting will be held at Medtronic ENT from 4:00-6:00 PM on Monday, May 18. Medtronic locally manufactures medical devices for ear, nose and throat surgeons, and the ophthalmologic and surgery suites.
Medtronic’s facility is located at:
6743 Southpoint Drive North
Jacksonville, FL 32216
For a map to the location, click here.
Five Facts About Manufacturing
Here are a few things to remember the next time a misinformed person tells you that manufacturing is a dying industry in America…
- 1. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, the manufacturing industry makes the highest contribution to economic growth of any sector.
- 2. America’s manufacturers contribute more than 60 percent of U.S. exports, or about $50 billion a month.
- 3. As a whole, manufacturers pay wages and benefits that are about 25 percent higher than in non-manufacturing jobs.
- 4. Manufacturing multiplies every dollar spent into an additional $1.37 in economic activity.
- 5. Manufacturing is responsible for more than 70 percent of private sector research and development and the center for a wide range of advanced technologies that cut energy use and lead to a cleaner environment.
