MCAA Regional Report, Region E

Words: Brian GrantIowa - Ted Erickson
Kansas - No State Chair
Minnesota - David Joslin
Missouri - Dan Grass
Nebraska - No State Chair
North Dakota - No State Chair
South Dakota - No State Chair

Iowa

No report

Kansas

No report

Nebraska

No report

North Dakota

No report

South Dakota

No report

Workforce Development

Minnesota

According to Doug Schroder, President of the Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local Union 1 MN/ND the total bricklayer hours worked through November of 2018 totaled 2,143,524. That is an increase of 1% for the same period in 2017.

Barry Blazevic, Operations Manager for the Bricklayers Local 1 MN/ND oversees organizing and managing the apprenticeship training center in a western suburb of Minneapolis. The facility offers Apprentice and Journeymen level classes, as well as, hosts workshops for architects, engineers, high school and college students, and community non-profit groups. The BAC Outreach Programs serve high school youth including general student population and at-risk youth. The MC&MCA sponsors and participates in many of these activities.

307 apprentices are active and registered with the Minnesota Department of Labor Apprenticeship Division. This includes all metro MN, NE, SE, and Outstate apprentices. The breakdown is as follows: 130 brick apprentices, 59 pointer cleaner caulker apprentices, 40 tile finisher apprentices, 72 tile layer apprentices, and six terrazzo finisher apprentices.

Missouri

At the end of 2018 the Bricklayers’ apprentice program has approximately 95 apprentices in the state of MO. There are roughly 50 Mason Tender apprentices.

The area continues to expand the use of Job Corps, a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the US DOL that helps young people ages 16 to 24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. Graduates even receive their own toolkit at graduation plus a small stipend.

Contractors are starting a mentoring program within their own companies to develop the apprentices employed.

The Joint Apprenticeship Training Center is transitioning a new coordinator/trainer and, for the first time, hired an administrative staff.

Serious marketing for apprentices continues.

Economic Conditions

Minnesota

Based on bricklayer hours reported, masonry construction weakened in 2018. Our last stadium is near completion and masonry is not a major component of the soccer facility. This $120 million stadium will seat 20,000 people for professional soccer and will open in spring of 2019. Architects indicate work in the pipeline and general contractors continue to break ground well into November.

The Legislature passed a large bonding bill in 2018 providing additional dollars for schools, public buildings, roads, bridges, and light rail transit lines. The November 2018 election brought a new DFL Governor (Walz) and a DFL controlled House of Representatives. The Republicans continue to control the Senate by a one vote margin. Transportation funding is expected to be a key issue in the 2019 session. A bonding bill is possible.

Residential construction in Minnesota was strong in most of 2018 but has weakened, as well, due to rising interest rates. One additional light rail line is planned and moving forward which will continue to tie the suburbs with the two downtown areas tying into the existing light rail lines. New and remodeled residential construction in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are fueling urban growth and vitality!

Union Relationships
The MC&MCA’s working relationship with the building trades unions is strong and fulfilling for all parties. With the benches empty everyone is working and concrete and masonry contractors are bidding jobs and making money. Our three-year labor agreement with the building trades unions expires on April 30, 2019. MC&MCA and the AGC team up with other management organizations to negotiate with the individual unions. We are hopeful that agreements can be reached in terms of compensation and fringe fund benefits in advance of that date.

Included in the current three-year labor agreement with the bricklayers is a mandatory five cents per hour bricklayer hours worked in the 11 metro counties of the state paid and collected from the contractor using union bricklayers. In 2018 this agreement raised $60,000 to be used by the MC&MCA to promote and market masonry to decision makers.

Missouri

As of December 2018, Missouri’s unemployment rate is looking exceptionally good at 3.5 percent, which has held steady since last year. It is also lower than the nation’s rate at 3.7 percent–a 19-year low. Missouri also maintains an unemployment rate below the Midwest Region of 3.6 percent, according to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. All bricklayers are employed.

St. Louis-area hours for Bricklayers are down 10% over 2017.

Marketing

Minnesota

The MC&MCA continued its strong marketing efforts in 2018. Marketing Director Elena Peltsman, an architect by training and experience, made around 60 presentations to architectural firms, owners, developers, schools, counties, cities, and general contractors promoting masonry products and workmanship. Our current topic was entitled: “Inspirational Masonry: Back to the Future.” Peltsman contacts architectural firms statewide, sets up the lunch seminars, brings lunch for attendees, does the presentation, and offers AIA continuing education credits. These efforts are paid for by member dues and marketing contributions.

The MC&MCA hosted a “Masonry Street” project at the Minnesota AIA convention held in mid-November in Minneapolis. MC&MCA sponsored two booths and organized 14 MC&MCA contractor and supplier companies to locate their booths on Masonry Street in the exhibit hall. Over three days’ hundreds of architects and other attendees were treated to masonry magic including hand-on presentations lead by the Bricklayers Local #1 of MN and ND. This year the MC&MCA and the other members of the Masonry Street sponsored a social evening on one of the convention nights.

The MC&MCA remains active in the structural masonry promotional effort working with the BAC bricklayer’s union, the IMI, Laborers, and LECET. This effort targets structural masonry engineers and engineering firms. MC&MCA Marketing Director Elena Peltsman and Mark Swanson of IMI work together and retain the services of IMI structural consultant Sam Rubenzer. Union representatives serve on the MC&MCA Marketing Committee.

The MC&MCA once again (38 years in a row now) sponsored the Excellence in Concrete & Masonry Design and Construction Awards contest. MC&MCA contractor members entered over 40 projects in nine categories. On site judging took place in September and was done by invited architects. They enjoyed the experience of seeing first hand some of the best masonry buildings in the state. The nine winners have been notified and are encouraged to invite owners, architects, and company leaders to the awards banquet to be held in February 2019. Our award dinner social features a guest speaker, leadership awards, and a silent auction.

MC&MCA and other industry organizations feel strongly that the marketing and promotional efforts need to occur during both a strong building market and during slow economic times.

Worker Recruitment Efforts
The MC&MCA, working with our union partners, are active in worker recruitment efforts including Construct Tomorrow and other forums and opportunities.

In November the MC&MCA, in conjunction with the bricklayers, cement finishers, laborers, and operating engineers, hosted a concrete and masonry construction career fair for Tech Ed students in a local middle school. 72 seventh and eighth grade students were treated to ten “experience stations” of active hands in the mud learning. They teachers were younger apprentices from the training centers. They watched high speed video of the Vikings stadium and the St. Croix River Bridge being built. They were treated to pizza and received some take home gifts to remind them of their concrete and masonry day. We videoed the day and are using the video to encourage additional younger students to get involved and get interested in the trades.

Missouri

Indirect

The Masonry Institute of St. Louis (MISL) continues the education and promotion of masonry to design professionals this year with the 2018-2019 season.

This season’s schedule includes:
  • W. Mark McGinley (University of Louisville): Masonry Codes & Standards Update
  • Robert E. Campbell (IMI): Moisture Control Flashing Systems
  • Phillip Shinn (Jacobs): Structural Masonry Detailing: Concrete Masonry Beam Examples
  • Darrell W. McMillian (MISL): Masonry Movement Joints; Structural Masonry Detailing: Seismic Update
  • Nicholas R. Lang (NCMA): CMU Update: Configurations, Strengths & Code Changes; Masonry Fire & Sound Standards Update
  • Michael P. Schuller (Atkinson-Noland & Associates): Nondestructive Evaluation & Testing of Masonry
  • Edwin T. Huston (Smith & Huston Consulting Engineers): Structural Masonry Detailing: Confined Lap Splices
  • Mark Swanson (IMI): Masonry Tools for BIM
  • Bricklayers’ Local #1 Joint Apprenticeship Training Center: “Hands-On” Masonry: Materials & Systems
  • Scott W. Walkowicz (Walkowicz Consulting Engineers): Structural Masonry Detailing: Stone Anchoring
  • Tom Cuneio (CAD BLOX): Masonry Veneer & BIM
  • David T. Biggs (Biggs Consulting Engineering): Thomas F. Walsh Memorial Lecture: Surviving Earthquakes Volcanoes & Time

Sponsorship of the bi-monthly seminars continues to offer area suppliers the affordable exposure to 100-130 design professionals per session. Attendance for the 2017-2018 season was 1,549, up 10% from the 2016-2017 season.

MISL’s Technical Director, Darrell McMillian, serves on the National BIM-M Initiative Executive Committee and is now the President of The Masonry Society. He serves on various industry committees, such as the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards, and Structural Engineers Association of Kansas and Missouri.

McMillian continues his structural masonry engineering course, added to the permanent course catalog at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, MO) last year and will be offered again in the spring of 2020. The course, in its seventh year, had an enrollment of 25 students, five more than in 2017.

Direct
The Masonry Structural Coalition continues to focus on builders, owners and designers in the Missouri and Southwestern Illinois region to convince them that load-bearing masonry has the best initial cost and the ability to exceed schedules, all while providing energy efficiency, moisture control, fire resistance, low sound transmission, durability, safety, and aesthetic value to their projects.

Competition

Minnesota

Our main competition continues to be precast wall systems. The battle ground continues around big box stores, commercial buildings, and now schools. Our masonry promotional efforts in Minnesota of working with architects, engineers, developers, and owners is to educate and inform decision makers as to the long-term benefits of masonry products and quality workmanship.

Missouri

We’ve learned that the load bearing “Premier Wall” is the most competitive wall system. We know this from builders and architects. The masonry wall system gives the highest and best value for the construction dollar.

The Bricklayers’ Union Local No. 1 of Missouri and the Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council offer market recovery programs, funded by union membership dues. Contractors apply for these and apply to the hourly wage, material expenses or fringe benefit obligations.

Safety

Missouri

The MCA/OSHA Partnership continues to flourish, commencing its 16th year, with 11 contractor partners. Quarterly, members submit their logs, training materials and any near-miss incidents and meet with local OSHA professionals to discuss. A safety professional from a local general contractor is invited to speak, sometimes offering to share data or training materials. The Partnership obtains valuable information from the general contractor and the general contractor is introduced to the safest mason contractors in their area. The results are real. For the third quarter of 2018, the Partnership experienced a 0.2 DART compared to the DOL average of 2.2. The Partnership TCIIR for the same period is 0.5 to the DOL’s 3.2. The Partnership is currently collecting silica-testing data for use by the industry.
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