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Around the Circuit
House
Approves
Union
Organizing Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a
bill
that may make it easier for labor unions to organize non-union
companies. The Employee Free Choice Act was approved by a
241-135 vote. The House vote split generally along party lines, with
all
but two Democrats voting for the bill -- and all but 13 Republicans
voting
against it. The White House issued a statement saying that
President Bush would veto the bill if it makes it to his desk. The
House
vote falls short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a
presidential veto. There has been no action yet in the
Senate.“We have to show our strength now to support the Employee Free
Choice Act,” says Frank Voso, assistant business manager and organizer,
Baltimore, Md., IBEW Local 24.
Business groups such as Associated Builders & Contractors and
the Independent Electrical Contractors strongly oppose the measure. It
has been referred to as the "card check bill," because it lets workers
sign a card to indicate their desire to join a union. Industry
officials
contend that the bill would be a blow to secret-ballot elections, as
well as the rights of small business owners. "This legislation does a
disservice to both the employee and the small business owner by tossing
aside the values of free enterprise and democracy in favor of trying to
halt the steady decline in union membership over 30 years," says
Brian Worth, IEC national vice president of government affairs.
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automatic fall of potential plots. www.aemc.com
Demand for Solar
Energy Expected
to Jump to $1.3 Billion by 2010
The demand for photovoltaic modules, according to a
recent study by Cleveland-based marketing research firm Freedonia
Group,
Inc., is expected to rise by more than three times the current level
--
to $1.3 billion -- by 2010. Credit for the increased demand is given
to the falling price of solar
power, spurred by improvements in the technology, as well as increases
in state and federal government tax incentives and rebates. Net
metering
programs, in which consumers are reimbursed at retail prices for the
excess energy their solar equipment puts back into the power grid, is
also a major factor. A potential shortage of polysilicon may cause a
lag
in inventory, but new technologies in development may eliminate the use
of that material.
Philadelphia
Licensing Bill Tabled
The bill requiring Philadelphia electricians and
telecom
workers to complete several years of study and apprenticeship has been
put off indefinitely. Councilman Juan Ramos, who introduced the
legislation in December, said he tabled the bill because "the issue is
very complex, highly technical, and, I think, requires more work and
further input." The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Local 98 had supported the bill, saying it would potentially reduce the
number of fires in the city. Critics of the bill argued that a
licensing
requirement would give an unfair advantage to union workers and reduce
job opportunities for independent contractors in the city.
Potential
Government Funding for Solar Power Technologies
Up to $168 million in government funding could be
available to companies developing advanced solar power technologies,
says the U.S. Department of Energy. If they're found eligible,
companies
providing more than 50% of funding for 13 projects could receive the
government support. The companies include Boeing Co., BP PLC, Dow
Chemical Co., General Electric Co., and SunPower Corp. Congress would
need to approve the money for the program after final agreements have
been negotiated.
Constellation
NewEnergy Donates Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
Baltimore-based Constellation NewEnergy recently
donated
34,000 energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) to
housing
authority customers throughout New England. As part of a program
promoting energy efficiency and the environment, the company bought the
CFLs at a competitive rate and distributed them to 34 housing
authorities and other customers in Massachusetts, Maine, and
Connecticut."We are making the installation of these light bulbs a
top priority so that we can see an immediate and positive impact on our
energy costs and carbon footprint," says Greg Russ, director of the
Cambridge Housing Authority, one of the housing authorities included in
the program.
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ILSCO Pigtail Adaptors
Popular Again
With the recent increased use of aluminum conductors, ILSCO's ACM,
ACO-90, CPM, and CPML pigtail adaptors are in high demand. The pigtails
give contractors the flexibility of using less expensive aluminum
conductor and then converting the conductor so that it can be installed
into a copper connector. Pigtails also reduce the size of the conductor
to allow installation of the conductor into smaller panel board
connectors that may have been supplied. Go to www.ilsco.com and click on Compression
Products to learn more.
Project Watch
Illinois School
District Seeks Bids for Lighting Retrofit
The North Wamac School District #186 Board of Education
currently is requesting bids for upgrades at the North Wamac Grade
School, Centralia, Ill. Work covered by the bid shall include
retrofitting all existing lighting, exhaust fan installation, office
renovation including new gypsum board, carpet, and acoustical ceiling
tile, downspout installation, playground renovations, and partial
sanitary sewer replacement. Sealed bids are to be delivered to the Unit
Office located at 1500 Case St. in Centralia prior to 2 p.m. CST on
March 22. Bid documents may be obtained from Lunsford Architects, Inc.,
403 N. Court St. in Marion, Ill.
New York Needs
Prison Housing Electrical System Upgrade
The New York State Office of General Services is
soliciting bids for the upgrade of electrical systems in Housing Units
A, B, 5, and 7 at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, N.Y.
Bidders interested in attending a pre-bid site inspection scheduled for
March 29 at 10 a.m. EST may call the office of Shannon Landolfa at
(845)
831-3111 a minimum of 72 hours in advance of the date. Bidding and
contract documents are available by calling (877) 647-7526. Bids will
be
accepted until 2 p.m. on April 4.
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need for multiple hanger sizes. The Flip Clip requires only one nut and
one tool for installation. www.cooperbline.com/flipclip
Web Exclusives
Business Brief
CyrusOne, Houston, recently selected Lee Technologies,
Inc., Fairfax, Va., to build-out the expansion of CyrusOne's 60,000
square-foot Tier 4 enterprise data center. Located within the
technology
campus, the new high-density facility is designed from the ground up to
provide 250W of power per square foot to support the demands of the
blade servers. "We're essentially taking a warehouse and converting
it to one of the most sophisticated data centers in Houston," says
Project Design Engineer Chuck Prichard, president and owner of Prichard
Consulting, East Lansing, Mich. "Over 35,000V of power will be
delivered
to the site to meet capacity requirements. However, the proper
integration, installation, and ongoing maintenance of the site's
critical systems is the key element that will drive the project's
success." According to Nemertes Research, Mokena, Ill., companies are
finding they need to bring in more servers to support a growing demand;
however, this affects power, heat and cooling -- issues that are
becoming increasingly important in designing today's data centers. "The
increased demand for high availability and dense computing enterprise
data centers has never been stronger," says Dave Ferdman, president and
CEO, CyrusOne. For more Business Briefs visit the EC&M Web site.
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The Basics of Voltage Sag
Immunity
By John DeDad
Sponsored by Caterpillar
This podcast will discuss the various causes of voltage sag, industry
studies such as System Average RMS Variation Frequency Index (SARFI),
equipment sensitivity performances (CBEMA and ITIC), and solutions to
voltage sag at the end user level. ecmweb.com/podcast
Shows and Events
Connections: The
Digital Home Conference & Showcase
Dallas-based Parks Associates, in partnership with the
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Arlington, Va., will present
Connections 2007 from May 1-3 in Santa Clara, Calif. Topics for this
year's sessions include remote home monitoring, home controls, the
evolution of powerline technology, and the connected home market and
technology. For more information and to register, visit the event's Web
site.
Battcon
International Stationary Battery Conference
Battcon 2007 will take place in Tampa Bay, Fla., from
May 1-3. Papers to be presented at this year's conference will cover
topics such as embedded DC power distribution architecture,
rate-adjusted battery capacity testing and calculations, IEEE 1491
battery monitoring standard, metal hydride fuel cell technology for UPS
/ emergency power applications, and the IEEE standard on electrolyte
spill control. For more information and to register, visit the Battcon
Web site.
ACEC Annual
Convention
The American Council of Engineering Company's (ACEC)
2007 Annual Convention will take place May 6-9 in Washington, D.C.
Presentations will be given on the status of federal markets,
limitation
of liability, merger and acquisition activity in the A/E/C industry,
and
2007 industry trends. For more information and to register, visit the
ACEC Web
site.
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