Masonry Magazine July 1974 Page. 34
MCAA Summer Board Meeting
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of Milwaukee, Wis., as the Outstanding Committee Chairman during the past year, and another for Meritorious Service to Milwaukeean Allen Knuth for his work as Material Handling Committee Chairman in staging the highly successful Material Handling Jamboree during the Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., in February. Dentinger presently serves as Chairman of the MCAA Safety Committee.
In other business before the Board, a Nominating Committee was appointed in accordance with the MCAA Constitution & Bylaws. Unanimously accepted as committee members were Guy Apple of Phoenix, Ariz.; Eugene George, Kitchener, Ont., Canada: Douglas Hughes, Crestwood, Ky.; David B. Soloff. Jr., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Allen Young, Memphis, Tenn., with Roy Elam, St. Louis, Mo., and Oscar Person, Burlingame, Calif., serving as alternates.
The MCAA Insurance Trust was also established to administer the new CNA-MCAA insurance program with George Plumb, MCAA Legal Counsel of Pedersen & Houpt, Chicago, III.; Walter F. Derk of Fred S. James Co.. Chicago, MCAA Insurance Consultant, and George A. Miller, MCAA Executive Vice President, serving as trustees. The Board additionally voted to create the National Joint Bricklaying & Apprenticeship Trust to administer joint bricklaying and training programs throughout the country.
Joseph F. Szabo, Des Plaines, III., Chairman of the Bricklayers & Trowel Trades International Pension Fund, reported that as of the end of May, 1974, a total of 108 BM & PIU local unions in 27 states were participating in the fund. Membership of these locals totals approximately 15,750, with contribution rates ranging from 104 to 554 per hour and averaging about 274 per hour.
President Velardo then gave a progress report on the International Masonry Institute, the industry's promotional arm headquartered in Washington, D.C., of which he is Vice Chairman. Full written materials on IMI was available to all MCAA Board members. (The IMI's fourth annual promotion meeting was held in Monterey, Calif., July 10-12. Details will be carried in a forthcoming issue of Masonry.)
Following a cocktail hour at 6:30 on Saturday evening. the MCAA Executive Board Banquet was held in the Bass River Room of Dunfey's and was attended by a full complement of members, their wives and families. Various golfing and appreciation awards were distributed at the time. One of the noteworthy events of the evening was the presentation by Robert Joyce of a special award from the Massachusetts Masonry Institute to President Velardo for his long and meritorious service to the Masonry Industry. Participating sponsors for the meeting were: MCA of Massachusetts: Camosse Brothers Block Co.; Garvin & Willis, 4X Lime; Glazon Sales, Brick & Minuteman Lime; Hertz Equipment Rental: Martin-Marietta Cement and Spaulding Brick Co.
Washington Wire
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big surplus and the tax rate will rise in 1978. Even with reallocation, though, Social Security rates will have to increase a lot.
BROADENING THE WAGE BASE ON WHICH TAXES ARE APPLIED WILL HELP some. Last year, Congress lifted the base to $13,200, leaving the rate unchanged. But even continued hikes in the wage base will not yield sufficient income. Without tax boosts, the Social Security fund will show a defiicit of some 3% of total taxable payroll over a 75-year period, new government data shows.
Government specialists are predicting an 0.5-point hike from the present 5.85% by 1980. And, after the turn of the century, even bigger tax boosts will be needed to keep the fund solvent.
IRS IS STARTING A MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON PERSONAL USE of company autos. One small businessman got into tax trouble because he used a company car, but couldn't show Internal Revenue that it was exclusively for business use. So IRS treated as taxable dividends about a fourth the annual rental value, plus normal repairs, maintenance, and insurance costs of the firm's vehicle.
Generally, Internal Revenue is taking a closer look at the use of company autos. It is computing income at 12 cents a mile to employees who use company cars for personal driving. It is making employers withhold taxes and Social Security.
A SUBSTANTIAL RISE IN INDUSTRIAL STRIKE ACTIVITY LOOMS for this year. The first signs of labor discontent have appeared with the end of controls. Workers are demanding more money to keep up with inflation-and stay ahead. Result: A large surge in strikes-shutting plants and idling construction. Strikes in early June involved over 300,000 workers, the most in 15 years.
SIGNS OF GROWING LABOR UNREST REALLY BEGAN BEFORE controls expired. Construction unions stalled spring negotiations waiting for controls to end. Construction settlements since April 30 have been averaging around 10-12%. Some new agreements have gone above the before-controls level of about 18%.
Major bargaining confrontations lie ahead during the balance of this year, including wage negotiations in such industries as telephones, railroads, acrospace, coal and oil-refining.
THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD HAS OPENED a controversial issue-one that will bring more legal activity and perhaps a Supreme Court ruling. NLRB has decided to hold up certification of a union as bargaining agent, even if it wins an election, if the union practices racial discrimination. The decision said the Board shouldn't lend sponsorship to an erring union by recognizing it as the exclusive bargaining agent of a company's workers.
However, NLRB admitted there will be further legal action on the issue. It noted that the appeals courts have differed with its policy on discrimination, and the Supreme Court has had little opportunity, so far, to clarify the Board's role.
THE STEEL SUPPLY PINCH WILL PROBABLY GET WORSE before it gets better. Steel companies will have to cut back on production somewhat this summer-to take care of machinery-maintenance requirements delayed by strong sales. Brisk demand has put a very heavy strain on furnaces and rolling machinery. Many producers have pushed back, or skipped, some maintenance on equipment. As many as 15 blast furnaces may be "down" for most of the current quarter.