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Around the Circuit
Prevailing-Wage
Case Settled
Under terms of a prevailing-wage case settlement, 16
electrical workers were recently awarded nearly $1.5 million. The
workers collected from $37,000 to $124,000 as their share of the
settlement of the case brought by New York City Controller William
Thompson. Under New York State law, private contractors who perform work
for the city are required to pay workers a specified prevailing wage for
their type of work. Netexit Inc., Berkeley Heights, N.J., had received a
$22.5 million contract in 2001 from the city's Human Resources
Administration to install and repair telephone and data cables at 49
offices around the city. The work continued for three
years.
According to Thompson, the 16 affected workers were
supposed to be paid prevailing wages of up to $41 an hour for working as
electricians. Instead, they were underpaid at a technician's salary of
$12 to $18 an hour, Thompson said. Netexit later filed for federal
bankruptcy, but Thompson sued for recovery and obtained the settlement.
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Connecticut Selects
Banc of America Leasing for Energy Conservation Financing
On March 27 the State of Connecticut announced that it
selected Banc of America Leasing, an affiliate of Bank of America, to
provide up to $150 million in financing for companies participating in
the state's new programs that offer incentives for energy-saving
distributed resources projects. The incentive program, created through
enacted legislation, uses federally mandated energy congestion charges
collected by the state's two utilities to reduce the effective interest
rate of loans to companies who participate in the program, managed by
the State of Connecticut Department of Public Utility
Control.
The program will provide financing for various energy
projects or services to reduce energy consumption or operating costs as
permitted by applicable statutes. Projects may also include automated
energy control systems; improvements or retrofits to electrical,
lighting, and auxiliary systems; HVAC system modification or
replacements; energy recovery systems, cogeneration systems, renewable
energy generation systems; and installation, training, and monitoring of
the equipment or systems. Requests for funding will be considered
through Dec. 31 or until a total of $150 million has been financed
through the program.
Electricians' Union
Sues Station Over News Report
In a suit filed March 29 in the Philadelphia Common
Pleas Court, IBEW Local 98 claims it was defamed by an ABC affiliate
WPVI-TV (Channel 6) news report that said federal investigators were
pressuring convicted City Councilman Rick Mariano to provide potential
information for a probe of union leader John J. Dougherty's relationship
with local electrical contractor Dougherty Electric Inc., owned by Don
Dougherty (not related to the union leader). The electrical contractor
is under investigation for a work stoppage on an eight-unit condominium
project. IBEW is asking for at least $50,000 plus unspecified punitive
damage and a retraction.
IEC Launches
Interactive Electricity Timeline
Alexandria, Va.-based IEC recently launched an
interactive "Techline" on its Web site. The online tool displays an
overview of the history of electrotechnology by scientist and inventor
contribution, important dates, and technologies, such as
electroacoustics, insulators, and connectors. The Techline is currently
available on IEC's Web
site and will be available on CD in the second quarter of 2006.
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Project Watch
Wisconsin
County Seeks Contractor for Outdoor Siren System
The Dept. of Emergency Management in Dane County, Wis.,
seeks proposals for maintenance and repair services for its outdoor
warning siren system. The county intends to award a three-year contract,
with an option for an annual extension for two additional years for
maintenance and repair services for all 92 of the county-owned sirens
and maintenance and repair of the radio control components of the
additional 20 units that the county operates, but does not
own.
The contract includes all labor, equipment, tools, and
materials for electrical, electronic, and mechanical maintenance and
repair of mechanical and electronic siren types. The equipment to be
maintained and repaired includes all components of rotating and
stationary, electronic and mechanical sirens not limited to: motors,
motor starters and capacitors, blower units, radios, antennas,
programmable logic controllers, remote terminal units, status sensors
and relays, frequency drivers, static phase converters, batteries,
battery chargers, power supplies, disconnects, and utility poles.
Proposals must be received no later than 2 p.m. CST on April 17. To
download a pdf of the project specifications, visit the county's Web site.
Fluor Hanford Requests Bids for
High-Mast Lighting in Washington
Fluor Hanford Inc. is accepting proposals for high-mast
lighting for use at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) in Hanford,
Wash. The high-mast lighting system will consist of high- intensity
light fixtures installed on a ring or cage at the top of four high-mast
metal poles. The light fixtures will have the capability of being
maintained and operated at ground level through the use of an internal
lowering device.
The selected contractor will engineer, procure
materials, fabricate, test and deliver the high-mast lighting system
materials to PFP for installation by others and will be required to
analyze and design the high-mast lighting system to maintain required
illumination levels on the ground with no hot spots that could affect
video camera performance. The deadline for proposals is 2 p.m. PDT on
April 13. To download a pdf of the request for proposals, visit the City
of Hanford's Web
site.
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To obtain a catalog and order forms, see your local B-Line distributor,
or visit our Web site at www.b-line.com
Web Exclusives
Business Brief
On March 1, Fluor Corp., Aliso Viejo, Calif., announced
that it will begin construction of a 200MW coal-fired power plant in
Nevada for Newmont Mining Corp. Under the terms of the contract, valued
at $400 million, Flour will perform engineering, procurement,
construction, and commissioning services for the plant, which will be
located in Eureka County, Nev. Employees in Flour's Greenville, S.C.,
office began work on this project shortly after receiving a limited
notice to proceed from Newmont Mining near the end of 2004. The project
is expected to achieve the commercial operation date in 2008.
For more Business Briefs, visit EC&M's Web
site.
EC&M Announces
Product of the Year Category Winners
Out of the 114 entries submitted in this year's Product
of the Year competition, a panel of nine judges selected 24 category
winners. To find out more about this year's judging and view a list of
the winners, visit 's Web site.
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during installation. Visit our Web site at www.ilsco.com for additional product
information.
Eye on Safety
AGC Contractors Recognized as
Construction Safety Leaders
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
recently announced the winners of the AGC/Willis Construction Safety
Excellence Awards, awarded to contractors who demonstrate a cultural
commitment to safety. This year's award winners were announced at the
seventh annual AGC/Willis Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA)
breakfast during AGC's 87th Annual Convention in Palm Springs,
Calif.
The awards program requires finalists to achieve zero work
site fatalities and multi-catastrophic injuries, and examines the
contractor's safety program and looks for evidence of company management
commitment, active employee participation, safety training, work site
hazard identification and control, and safety program innovation. In
addition, finalists were required to make a presentation of their safety
program to an independent panel of judges. Electrical contractors
winning first-place awards include Cummings Electrical, Inc., Irving,
Texas and Faith Technologies Inc., Appleton, Wis. A second-place award
went to New Tech Electric, Inc., Portland, Ore.
Shows and Events
ACEC Annual
Convention & Legislative Summit
The Washington D.C.-based American Council on
Engineering Companies (ACEC) will present its Annual Convention &
Legislative Summit at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. from
April 30 to May 3. Keynote speaker Newt Gingrich will kick off the
event, given the theme "Engineering America's Future 2006." Other
sessions include "The Design Firm Business Model: A Time for Corrective
Action," "The U.S. Engineer Drought and What It Means for U.S. Firms,"
and " GSA: Funding Priorities for the Future." For more information and
to register for the convention, visit ACEC's Web
site.
IEEE/IAS I&CPS
Technical Conference
Southeast Michigan Industry Applications Society
(IAS)/PES Section will host the IEEE/IAS Industrial & Commercial Power
Systems (I&CPS) Technical Conference in Dearborn, Mich., from April 30
to May 3. Papers being presented at this year's conference include
"TN-Island Grounding System," "Equipotential Planes, a Figment of the
Imagination," and "Single-Stage Single-Switch High-Power-Factor
Electronic
Ballast for Fluorescent Lamps." For more information and to make online
reservations, visit the IEEE/IAS Web site.
Ballast for Fluorescent Lamps." For more information and to make online
reservations, visit the IEEE/IAS Web
site.
NAHB Spring 2006
Construction Forecast Conference
The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) presents
its Construction Forecast Conference -- Spring 2006 in Washington D.C.
on April 27. This semiannual conference provides an opportunity to learn
about economic trends, government policies, and developments in the
housing industry. Panels discussions will include subjects such as the
outlook for the economy and housing, a regional housing outlook, and the
results from NAHB's recent surveys. To register for the conference or
order the conference Webcast, visit NAHB's Web
site.
Connections: The
Digital Home Conference and Showcase
Parks Associates in partnership with the Consumer
Electronics Association will present the tenth annual Connections: The
Digital Home Conference and Showcase in Santa Clara, Calif. from May
2-4. The Connections 2006 conference will feature a combination of
keynote presentations, concurrent tracks with interactive panel
discussions, and individual presentations in a plenary format. For a
more detailed agenda and to register, visit the conference's Web
site.
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