Bay Area SMACNA General Membership Advisory Retreat
Forty-two contractor member representatives participated in the 2024 General Membership Advisory Retreat June 9-11 at the Silverado Resort in Napa.
This retreat provided valuable insights into our association, allowing members to expand their understanding of industry-related issues while engaging in discussions and collaborative efforts for a deeper understanding of emerging trends and regulatory changes. Evening networking gave members the opportunity to discuss the topics their respective companies are facing and created stronger professional relationships.
The meeting kicked off with CAL SMACNA’s report given by Chris Walker. The focus was on upcoming legislation that we will see in November, such as Prop 47, school bonds and PAGA, along with new regulations like the workplace violence rule that went into effect as of July 1, 2024, the lower lead threshold beginning January 2025, the advance clean fleet rule and the best practices CAL SMACNA is working on for this. CAL SMACNA’s Safety Seminar in October will have more information on these topics (see page 12 for details). Tom Martin, President Elect at National, reported on staffing changes, website updates, updated manuals and mega projects. Sean Greenwood gave the BAS Treasurer’s update, stating that the association is doing well and announcing that the new building has its first tenant, signing a 5-year lease!
Sean O’Donoghue updated attendees on upcoming negotiations and the new bylaws that were sent out with the new CBA. He highlighted that with the implementation of the new bylaws, all areas have been consolidated, allowing members to vote for any candidate across the association for the 10 available seats next year.
O’Donoghue also emphasized the importance of Fire Life Safety certifications as a valuable opportunity to generate work. With the industry currently slow, it’s an ideal time to pursue these certifications. By ensuring employers are certified, we can continue to advocate for legislation that demands a skilled and trained workforce to perform this type of work, in turn creating more job opportunities within our industry. Employers interested in certification can reach out to NEMIC and NEMI. Additionally, the union offers certifications for apprentices. Journeyman certification courses are available online, with the final certification conducted at a local JATC, taking around 4-5 hours. The necessary requirements and codes are already established; the focus now is on certification of the workforce to undertake the recertification of these systems.
Overall, the retreat was an informative event for all attendees.
