UMCA’s 2012 Education Series Kicks off this Month

The UMCA 2012 Education Series will kick off this month with a seminar called “10 Common Employment Law Mistakes.”  The presentation will be made by Matthew M. Durham of Stoel Rives LLP.  The presentation will identify some of the most common legal mistakes employers make, as well as ways to avoid them.  Topics will include discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, performance management and documentation, and other key employment issues.  The objective will be to help employers avoid employment disputes and litigation.

The seminar will be held on January 26, 2012 at the Utah Career Center from 12:00pm-2:00pm.  The seminar will be free to all UMCA members but the deadline to register for this seminar is January 18, 2012.  The registration form can be found under the “Events” section of the website.  Start earning your continuing education hours towards the next Contractor License Renewal cycle.

Download Registration Form Here

UMCA Releases 2012 Calendar

The UMCA Board of Directors and staff have developed an events calendar for the 2012 calendar year.  The calendar features a six month education series, with one additional seminar in August, the annual golf tournament, annual trap shoot, and annual holiday party.  This calendar can be found on the left side bar or can be found under by clicking on the “Events” tab.  Please mark your calendars now to attend these events and take full advantage of your membership in the UMCA.
 

Change in Leadership at UA Local 140

On January 17, 2012, the UA Local 140 will experience a change of leadership due to the recent election.  On that date, Dan Smith will become the Local Union President, Scott Smith will be the Local Union Vice President, John (Wady) Wadlow will become Business Manager, Harold Thomas, Bruce Wigren, Dan Wahl, and Joe Gile will comprise the Local Union Executive Board, Mike Powers will be the Recording Secretary, Tim Knudson will be the Inside Guard/Sentry, Will Nickell, Steve Roberts, and Ed Gongaware will sit on the Finance Committee, and John Meehan, Bruce Silcox, and Roy Adams will make up the Local Union Examining Board.  The UMCA would like to thank and recognize E. Larry Facer, Mark Nelson, and Will Nickell for their cooperation with the UMCA and wish Larry the best in his retirement.

Western Mechanical Conference: March 28-30, 2012 Palm Springs

Registration for the Western Mechanical Conference is underway.  Mark your calendars now and join UMCA President Patrick Lynch in welcoming the leaders from the Western States pipe trades and MCA chapters in March.  The conference will be held at the beautiful Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, California.  The UMCA will be the conference host this year and an informative agenda is being planned.  Registration materials are available at http://westernmechanical.org/ and for a sneak peak at the resort go to http://www.renaissanceesmeralda.com.   

Utah Career Center Makes Advancement

The Board of Trustees for the Utah Career Center (UCC) is continuing to progress in improving the overall apprentice program. Prior to school starting this past fall, the trustees surveyed and met with all of the UCC Instructors to get their perspective and an overall assessment of deficiencies in the program and needs of the instructors in order to provide the best training possible. The feedback collected was invaluable as it lead to the development of an amendment to the policies of the UCC.  The amendment included a new attendance policy and a new cell phone policy which should provide both instructors and apprentices with an overall better experience. This document details the new policies in effect at the school.  Download Document Here.

More recently, the trustees developed a comprehensive instructor evaluation form to survey the apprentices on the quality of instruction. A member of the Board of Trustees met individually with each class on every course being taught at the UCC and conducted the instructor survey which proved to be insightful. The survey produced a overview of our training model and a number of great recommendations for overall improvement. After the surveys were completed and tallied a member of the board of trustees and the UCC administration met individually with every instructor to review the results of the survey so progress could be made in overall instruction.

While both surveys brought to light the depth of improvement still needed in the training program, it also showed that as a whole, the instructors and apprentices are excited to be a part of the program and want to provide and receive the best training possible. The level of professionalism demonstrated by the apprentices and instructors during this process was very refreshing and clearly showed they were all invested and committed to the program and trade. The UMCA would like to recognize the trustees and the UCC administration for this huge undertaking. The UMCA trustees are Jason Bleak-IPWI, Frank Moss-Moss Industrial, Dave Katsanevas-CCI Mechanical, Robert Bergman-UMCA and for Local 140 E. Larry Facer, Mark Nelson, and Will Nickel. The foundation has been developed and we should see continuous improvement in 2012.

The Importance of Employment Screening

Negligent hiring occurs when an employer fails to adequately screen prospective applicants and hires someone who has a history of violent or criminal acts. You cannot afford to recruit employees who have a background of serious crimes, abuse, neglect, or improper behavior. You are putting your entire business at risk if you don't do adequate screening. In fact, The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates negligent hiring is responsible for 30 percent of business failures.
What Employee Screening Can Uncover
    •    Fraud – Thirty-three percent of employees admitted to stealing from their jobs in the last three years. (U.S. Department of Commerce) Organizations in the U.S. lose an estimated seven percent of their annual revenues to fraud. (Association of Fraud Examiners)
    •    Misrepresentation – Nearly half of all résumés and job applications contain exaggerations or deceits. (Society of Human Resource Management)
    •    Workplace Violence – Workplace violence is on the rise. Thirteen people are killed each week due to workplace violence and nearly two million people are victims of violent victimization each year in the U.S. (U.S. Department of Justice)
    •    Drug Use – In the U.S., 7.4 million employees abused drugs last month and 73 percent of all drug users are employed. (Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace)
    •    Alcohol Abuse – Alcohol misuse in the U.S. costs businesses an estimated $66 billion in lost productivity. (U.S. Department of Transportation)
    •    Federal and State Laws – Certain jobs require you to conduct background checks. Check for these regulations.
At the end of the day, ask yourself if you've done everything you can to protect your business. Don't expect perspective job candidates to admit they have a felony or were fired by their last employer for stealing. It is up to you to find out this information.