Page 6 - ABC Indiana: The Hoosier Contractor, Spring 2013

6 The HOOSIER CONTRACTOR SPRING 2013
FAST, OUT OF THE GATE
Issues on many fronts have jettisoned early in the start
of this new year. Following are some highlights:
1) New Governor Pence: On the heels of ABC being highly
involved in supporting Mike Pence in his successful race
for Governor, ABC has been involved in the inauguration
activities and his first State of the State speech. With
ABC’s interest in the campaign initiative of restoring
the value of technical education back into the schools
and greater focus on job training, ABC is pleased that
Governor Pence has included those priorities in his
budget. $24 million new dollars and a plan to transform the workforce development
state structure have been put before the General Assembly.
ABC’s legislative committee lead by Rick Slagle of Majority Builders in South Bend,
has been busy working on issues with the legislature and the Governor’s office of
utmost importance to the ABC membership.
2) A federal appeals court in Washington D.C. has overturned President Obama’s
controversial recess appointments from last year to the National Labor Relations
Board. The court ruled that the President abused his powers and acted when the
Senate was not actually in a recess. ABC chairs the group, Coalition for Democratic
Workplace, which brought the legal challenge against the Obama Administration.
This victory is a direct result of each member’s dues dollars supporting ABC to carry
on the good fight for fairness in the government regulatory process.
3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released current numbers on union membership
that have captured much attention in the news. The BLS said the total number of
union members fell by 400,000 nationally. The percentage of workers in unions fell
to 11.3 down from 11.8. That brought unionization to its lowest level since 1916
when it was 11.2%. Labor specialist cited several reasons for the steep one-year
decline in union membership according to the New York Times. Among the factors
were new laws in Wisconsin, Indiana, and other states.
In Indiana, the numbers are: Total number of workers employed = 2.68 million
In all occupations:
2011 Total number of union members = 302,000 or 11.3% of total workforce.
2012 Total number of union members = 246,000 or 9.1% of total workforce.
4) ABC Insurance program: Just as you assess your vulnerabilities, such as if you
worked for 1 or 2 key clients and those clients went elsewhere, your viability would
be in jeopardy. ABC and its members were facing the same jeopardy. Also the
available plans for our members did not fit with many of their needs. So we have
solved that vulnerability, by gaining control of our own destiny. ABC Benefits Group
can offer insurance plans directly to our members. This allows us to create programs
that are best for our members, not insurance vendors. This is worth your attention.
While you have the hard work of running a construction company, be assured we
use your investment in us to work in arenas that profoundly affect your bottom line.
Thank you for that investment and support.
J.R. Gaylor
President & CEO, ABC Indiana Chapter
From the President
ABC Statement of Purpose
Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana
is a professional, pro-business construction trade
association representing the merit shop contractors
and supporting free enterprise.
State Officers
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Ryan Ellis, PLS of Indiana LLC
Past Chairman of the Board
Chuck Goodrich, Gaylor Inc.
Treasurer
Kenneth Hedlund, Somerset CPAs, P.C.
Chapter Attorney
Mike Drewry, Drewry Simmons Vornehm, LLP
Council Appointee
Central Council
Steve Shehorn, T&W Corporation
East Central Council
Bill Fredericks, Fredericks, Inc. Contractors
Lafayette Council
Don Windler, Winco Construction Company, Inc.
Michiana Council
Rick Slagle, Majority Builders, Inc.
Northeast Council
Ryan Harris, Felderman Design-Build
Southern Council
Thomas Goecker, Goecker Construction, Inc.
Staff
President & CEO – J.R. Gaylor
Executive Vice President – Martha Bracken
Office Manager – Tracy Patterson
Director of Education – Lisa Vitaniemi
Council Manager,
Northeast/Michiana – Felisha Minnich
Council Manager, Central/Southern – Rebecca Hoff
Apprenticeship Coordinator,
Northeast/Michiana - Rhonda Stabler
Apprenticeship Manager, Mid Councils – Angela Wilson
Apprenticeship Coordinator,
Central/Southern – Karen Blake
Safety & Training Coordinator – Darren Baker
Community Liaison – Claude Street
AP/AR Clerk – Karen Tangeman
Receptionist & Administrative
Assistant – Christie Clayton