MCAA Regional Report, Region E

Iowa
No report as of this writing.

Kansas
No report as of this writing.

Minnesota
In 2006 the Minnesota legislature passed a second large bonding bill worth close to $1 billion, after passing a similar sized one in 2005. The legislature also approved the construction of two new stadiums; one for the University of Minnesota Gopher football team on campus, and a new Twins baseball stadium in downtown Minneapolis. According to the Federal Reserve of Minneapolis reports, commercial construction activity continues to grow in this region, while new home construction continues to struggle.

Missouri
Hours in the 2006-year increased 2.1%. Currently, the 2007-year is running 5.1% behind 06', which is not surprising with the winter storms in the Midwest. Housing continues to slow, while the commercial side of the industry is trending upward. Overall hours for the 2007-year are anticipated to increase 2.5% over last year.

Nebraska
No state chair.

North Dakota
No state chair.

South Dakota
No state chair.

Iowa
No report as of this writing.

Kansas
No report as of this writing.

Minnesota
MC&MCA current membership of 128 companies includes 63 contractor companies and 65 associate member companies. We continue to provide our members with a monthly meeting where industry representatives and other speakers are engaged to address our general membership. We just completed redesigning our website through the efforts of Tim O'Toole of MCAA. MC&MCA can be reached through the Internet at www.mcmca.com. We provide a link to MCAA's website, as well as other state and national concrete and masonry sites. MCAA membership totals fourteen Minnesota contractors.

2007 marks our 25th annual Excellence in Concrete & Masonry Construction and Design contest. The winning masonry and concrete projects will be announced at our awards banquet held at the conclusion of a twoday convention on March 9-10. The winners are also featured in a four-page, five-color insert in the annual AIA directory, as well as featured in the Construction Bulletin, a local construction publication. In addition, photos of the winners are scanned into our website to "showcase" them to architects, owners, potential members.

MC&MCA's goals for 2007 include working closely with our construction industry contractors, subcontractors, producers of concrete and masonry products and all our suppliers of goods and services that our contractors use every day. The MC&MCA will continue to work with the architectural community in the design process to encourage more masonry and concrete projects in the construction field. We will also continue to work with the unions on employee recruitment and training. Other goals include providing programs and other membership services that our members want and deserve. We will continue to work with the MCMA and the IMI to better coordinate, partner and cost-share programs and projects of interest and value to the masonry industry.

The MC&MCA continues to promote a strong, positive image of our products and services, our members, our association, the MCAA and the masonry and concrete industry in general!

Missouri
Heartland Brick Council will be distributing a referral list of MCA members during the St. Louis Home Builders Show which runs February 22 – 25, 2007. Their focus during this convention is to promote the retrofitting of existing homes with brick.

February 6 and 7, 2007 was the 9Th Annual Masonry New Products Forum with nineteen suppliers marketing to over 200 masonry contractors, architects, engineers and code officials.

The Masonry Institute of St. Louis continues to have a full house for their weekly seminars to architects, engineers and code officials.

Three new committees have been added to the Masonry Institute of St. Louis: the Suppliers Committee and Marketing Committee are focusing on other marketing opportunities and the Public Affairs Committee will focus on municipal codes.

As a member of the Construction Employers Council, the MCA continues its lobbying efforts, joined with the American Subcontractors Association-Midwest Council, the Painting & Decorating Foundation and the Site Improvement Association. The Council has been meeting with various standing committees of the Missouri House of Representatives to focus on construction industry issues, such as lien legislation.

The Tenth North American Masonry Conference will be held in St. Louis on June 3-6, 2007.

Nebraska
No state chair.

North Dakota
No state chair.

South Dakota
No state chair.

Iowa
No report as of this writing.

Kansas
No report as of this writing.

Minnesota
Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local No. 1 had 223 active apprentices in the fall program. This included 161 enrolled in the St. Paul based metro training center and 62 in the out-state program. Currently the PCC program has 19 active students, including 12 first year students and seven in their second year. PCC students continue to choose their own specific courses due to industry demand and limited numbers of participants. The current St. Paul based tile apprenticeship program has 65 students. That number includes 19 first year tile finishers and 17 second year finishers, as well as 10 first year tile layers and 19m second year tile layers. In addition, there are 14 students registered as out-state tile finisher and tile layer apprentices for a total of 79 students in the Minnesota and North Dakota tile program.

Through the 12 months of 2006, mason hours for the Bricklayers Local 1 of MN/ND totaled 3,400,000 hours. While the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul has continued to boom, the union hours reported have been relatively flat. On April 30, our three-year labor agreement with the bricklayers, cement masons, laborers, operators, ironworkers and carpenters expires. Negotiations on a new agreement are commencing.

According to Minnesota OSHA, the most frequently cited safety standard in the construction industry in 2005 was violation of the general requirements of fall protection on scaffolds above 10 feet. State OSHA issued 93 citations during the year for construction fall protection violations. A close second most cited construction standard was fall protection in residential construction with 90 citations. General duty clause (unsafe working condition) was third with 85 citations. General requirements for fall protection came in fourth with 82 citations written. Lack of an AWAIR Program dropped to fifth place with 71 citations.

In September, 32 architecture students from the University of Minnesota College of Architecture visited the Local 1 MN/ND training center in St. Paul for a morning of presentations and hands-on activities presented by IMI marketing staff and BAC trainers. These kinds of programs are also popular with construction management students from Dunwoody Technical College, where groups are involved in halfday events at least once a year, and for whom programs are delivered in their classroom regularly.

The 11th Minnesota Masonry & Concrete Academy was held at St. Cloud State University. This academy targets technology education teachers in an effort to expose them to masonry and concrete in their preparation of high school classroom activities and career options. Trainers at the Academy from the BAC Local #1 MN/ND training program and Local #1 field staff have been visiting these high schools to do classroom presentations, participate in Career Days and provide hands-on activities for those schools requesting help.

Missouri
Technical High School programs continue to be the best "feeder program" for bringing apprentices into the industry.

• On February 9, 2007, several MCA contractors judged the masonry skills competition with 15 students competing to move to the national competition.

• Linn Mo. State University will host the regional Skills event. Local MCA contractors will be judging the masonry portion of the competition.

• In May the graduating students in the masonry classes will be laying brick for the contractors at the MCA monthly meeting.

The PCC (Pointers, Caulkers and Cleaners) Committee has created recommended tuckpointing and sealant specifications for their market segment.

The PCC Committee is also working with the Bricklayers' Joint Apprentice Training Committee (JATC) to enhance the PCC apprentice curriculum. Currently there are 41 PCC apprentices enrolled in the school.

The JATC continue to work on updating the apprentice standards to encourage more minority hiring.

The whole masonry industry is striving to have all employees OSHA 10-Hour Trained. The contractors are staying ahead of the curve by having key personnel OSHA 30-Hour Trained, due to increasing requirements by owners and general contractors.

The MCA Certification Committee is developing a presentation on the use of cast stone that will be offered in Spring 2007.

Nebraska
No state chair.

North Dakota
No state chair.

South Dakota
No state chair.

Iowa
No report as of this writing.

Kansas
No report as of this writing.

Minnesota
No report as of this writing.

Missouri
In the region all housing is trending down. Plasterers are reporting a drop in hours over the previous year.

Nebraska
No state chair.

North Dakota
No state chair.

South Dakota
No state chair.