The Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) Research and Education Committee is proud to present an upcoming live webinar called, "How to Help & Serve Your Customers in a Virtual World NOW & Seamlessly Transition Back to Business as Usual LATER." The session is to be presented by Kelly McDonald. Please join us THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 - 3:00 PM (CST) . The program will include a 40 minute presentation and additional time for Q & A.  

Please click on the link below for a copy of a recent letter from the Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago (ECA) sent to all signatory contractors clarifying the Families First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA) regarding benefits.

As you are aware, Senate Bill 75, Public Act 101-0221 was signed into law by Governor Pritzker in August 2019. Under this Act, Illinois employers are required to train employees on sexual harassment prevention by December 31, 2020, and on an annual basis thereafter. This requirement applies to all employers with employees working in this State. Employers must either develop their own sexual harassment prevention training program that equals or exceeds the minimum standards for sexual harassment prevention training outlined in Section 2-109(B) of the Illinois Human Rights Act, or they may use the model training provided by the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR).  The IDHR has finally released the model sexual harassment prevention training that can be used by Illinois employers.  The model training program can be downloaded by clicking the link below. The training can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation or alternatively, it can be downloaded in a PDF format. Additional resources, guidance and Frequently Asked Questions can also be found by visiting the website. 

If you have question or need additional information, you can contact Jessica Newbold Hoselton, Executive Director, Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association (IMSCA) at: (217) 523-4361.

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) held an emergency meeting via conference call on April 27, 2020. T he Commission voted unanimously to withdraw the April 16 ^th  emergency rule that created a right for injured workers to a rebuttable presumption if they contracted or were exposed to COVID-19 . The IWCC Chairman stated the rule is withdrawn due to the unknown financial costs that would be associated with pending litigation.  While the withdrawal of this rule is an important step, IMSCA does not believe this is final action on this issue .  The Chairman further stated a committee/task force will be formed to advise the IWCC on their response to issues related to the COVID-19 public health crisis .  In addition, it is possible legislation seeking to address this issue will be filed with the Illinois General Assembly.

 

Ensuring essential and front-line workers are protected against the COVID-19 virus is still a top priority of Governor Pritzker. IMSCA hopes that with this issue being placed back in to more traditional methods of creating public policy, the importance of not issuing a “one size fits all” approach for every industry can be highlighted.

 

IMSCA will offer updated information as it becomes available. If you have any specific questions, you can contact Jessica Newbold Hoselton, Executive Director, Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractors Association (IMSCA) at: (217) 523-4361.

Pursuant to Public Act 100-1177, the Illinois Department of Labor is required to develop an online database for contractors to use to submit certified payrolls. The IDOL’s central reporting process was to be implemented by April 1, 2020. A few weeks ago, you received information regarding webinar training sessions offered by the Illinois Department of Labor to learn how to use IDOL’s new prevailing wage certified payroll portal. The training sessions hosted by IDOL resulted in more questions than answers. As a result, IDOL has conceded that the new system is not ready. IDOL has expressed that contractors can continue to follow the existing process and file director with owners, and use whatever reporting format is currently used. This new program is in flux, and contractors are encouraged to hold off on making any changes to your systems until the new processes are finalized. 

IDOL has also stated updates on the status of this process will be posted to the IDOL website: https://www2.illinois.gov/idol/Laws-Rules/CONMED/Pages/prevailing-wage-act.aspx  

Stay up to date on the latest changes for our Industry including news releases, legislation and Government mandates, workplace safety and preparation guidelines, OSHA alerts, and more that affect electrical contractors in Chicago and Cook County.



Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, the electrical training ALLIANCE, in partnership with the University of Michigan and Destination Ann Arbor, has announced the cancellation of NTI 2020 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The event was scheduled for July 25 – July 31, 2020. The electrical training ALLIANCE will be sending out refunds to all that have currently paid their registration fees.  

We would like to remind everyone, that our staff is here to serve you, even while a portion of the staff may be working remotely. Our main switchboard may be forwarded to a staff member at any given time, so if you should have difficulty getting through on our main number 708-531-0022, please reach out to us via the following contact information.

Staff contact information is as follows:

Mark Thomas, Executive V.P. [email protected]

Tim Taylor – Assistant Manager      

[email protected]

Carrie Spaeth – Assistant Manager 

[email protected]

Gina Floro – Office Manager/Accounts payable and receivable [email protected]

Jessica Waterous – NEBF collection [email protected]

NEBF PAYMENTS: Please reach out to Jessica Waterous if you do not currently report and pay your NEBF electronically and you would like to do so.

ECA DUES: If you would prefer an electronic dues reporting/payment option, please reach out to Gina Floro.

Meanwhile, staggered staff are still available to accept mail and packages at our office in Westchester.

You can find all ECA, NECA and Industry Event date changes or cancellations due to COVID-19 on ECA's website here.



Please click on the links below updates regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA): The first link is for a copy of a letter to all signatory contractors regarding interim guidance as to how the paid leave requirements in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) for employers with 500 or fewer employees will be handled. The second link is an updated NECA FFCRA FAQ. The third link is a link to an article concerning the Department of Labor's direction regarding how employers with fewer than 50 employees are handled in the FFCRA..

Every three years, the National Electrical Code (NEC) is updated to reflect the newest installation practices utilized by the electrical industry, bringing about hundreds of revisions and new rules to the code. This training program provides attendees with a review of over 200 of the most significant changes in the 2020 NEC. Learn about new articles and revisions to existing requirements that directly impact the electrical construction business. This high-energy program promises to deliver authoritative overviews of many of the NEC changes that must be understood by contractors, installers, and inspectors alike. This program includes a textbook titled "Significant Changes to the 2020 NEC" authored by Michael Johnston (NECA) and Jim Dollard (Philadelphia Electrical JATC). The program is presented using PowerPoint slides that align with the information in the textbook. 

For more information contact NECA Education at  [email protected].

CARES ACT information for Businesses

Paycheck Protection Program Provisions

Small Business Administration:  PPP Checklist

NECA began accepting submissions for the 2020 Project Excellence Awards Program on January 1, 2020. These prestigious awards recognize NECA member companies for their outstanding commitment, professionalism and ingenuity in delivering an electrical project across 12 different market sectors.

Submissions for projects completed in 2019 will be accepted until June 15, 2020. 

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The Electrical Contractors’ Association of City of Chicago (ECA) is pleased to present a special event in lieu of the ECA Annual Spring Conference. The event is the “ECA Golf Outing.” This is an opportunity for Chapter members to not only participate in a complimentary golf outing on August 4, 2020 at Kemper Lakes Golf Club, 24000 N. Old McHenry Road in Kildeer, Illinois, which includes use of a driving range, lunch, food and beverages on the course, cocktails and dinner, networking and a raffle; but, an opportunity to contribute to the NECAPAC.

 

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION.