Here For You
Here With You
Friends -

During these ever evolving times, we want you to know that the entire Empire Chapter staff is thinking of our members, your needs and how we can best support you. With policy changing quickly, we want to assure you that we working to make sure our information is pushed out to you quickly and accurately. We are focused on getting your business back online and working to ensure our information sharing is easy for you to access and navigate.

If you have questions, concerns or topics you would like to see addressed, please reach out to anyone on our team.
Brian Sampson
President
Phone: (585) 967-2133

Tracie Cunningham
Controller
Phone: (315) 463-7539

Stephanie Hart
Event & Program Manager
Phone: (315) 463-7539

Mike Kanealey
Membership Director Greater Rochester
Phone: (585) 301-6005

Amanda Bertram
Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: (518) 469-1507

Tanner Schmidt
WNY Membership Manager & Government Affairs Program Assistant
Phone: (585) 730-1814

Jeff Albert
Chief Operating Officer
Phone: (315) 246-7233

Jason Ashlaw
Safety, Craft Training, and Workforce Development Director
Phone: (315) 454-2320

Amy Platenik
Education Director
Phone: (585) 363-1657

Jamie Campisi
Education Coordinator
Phone: (585) 455-0293

Donna McGoey
Long Island Member Engagement Director
Phone: (718) 490-2079
In This Issue:
  • Paycheck Protection Program Deal Emerging
  • Upcoming Training with Jason Ashlaw
  • Upcoming and Previously Recorded Webinars
  • Associated Builders and Contractors Announces National COVID-19 Safety Stand-down
  • Empire Chapter Resources- Returning Employees to Work After a COVID-19 Positive Test
  • Empire Chapter Resources- COVID-19 Guidance for Employers and Employees in the workplace
Paycheck Protection Program Deal
Emerging in Congress
After negotiations continued through the weekend, it appears that a deal is close to being finalized to provide an additional $300 billion to replenish the small business Paycheck Protection Program, which is nearly $50 billion more than the initial proposal that Senate Republicans tried to pass last week. While the deal will hopefully be approved by mid-week any single member can slow down efforts to fast-track a vote. It is likely that the Senate moves first with passage hopefully set for tomorrow and the House has already notified members that votes could be held as early as Wednesday.
 
The deal is also reported to include $50 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, that has also lapsed in appropriations and been under scrutiny over the past weeks for its performance. $75 billion for hospitals is also expected to be included in the interim package along with $25 billion for COVID-19 testing. While the deal is not yet finalized it appears that additional money for states and local governments, which governors have requested will not be included, though the President stated “that will be in our next negotiation.”
Keep Your Workforce Trained and on the Payroll
Virtual Safety Awareness Training with Jason Ashlaw

ABC is here for our members and is offering the following
Safety Awareness Trainings:

Electrical Safety Training : Thursday, April 30th 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Silica Awareness : Tuesday, May 5th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Confined Space : Thursday, May 7th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Excavation Safety : Tuesday, May 12th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Stairs & Ladders Training : Thursday, May 14th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Cost: $80 per person, per course.

**Virtual training requires Laptop with a camera or smart phone with internet access

To register, contact Amy Platenik: platenik@abcnys.org (585) 363-1657

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Time: 3 p.m. EDT
Length: 60 minutes

WEBINAR DESCRIPTION

A panel of fire safety and construction experts will discuss the necessary actions needed to prepare and secure your project from fires and other hazards during a shutdown, as well as the subsequent remobilization when work begins. The discussion will include the roles and responsibilities of owners, site safety managers and fire service personnel.



Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Time: 3 p.m. EDT
Length: 60 minutes

WEBINAR DESCRIPTION

Cyber criminals often take advantage of significant current events to increase activity. The global pandemic and sudden increase in teleworking has opened the door for bad guys to strike. CNA’s risk control experts will offer simple and effective guidance to equip workers with the ability to recognize and defeat an attack.



Date: Thursday, April 23, 2020
Time: 3 p.m. EDT
Length: 90 minutes

WEBINAR DESCRIPTION

One of the unintended consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is the increase of cybersecurity threats due to the prevalence of remote working. Without the right protections in place, your company and workforce can be at risk from a wide variety of hackers. Join Nick Espinosa, cybersecurity and network infrastructure expert and president of Security Fanatics, as he walks through precautions your company should take to protect itself and your employees.

ABC Empire State Webinar Series
Recorded Webinars

The Empire Chapter is offering a library of recorded webinars from both ABC National and our Empire Chapter Professional Services Committee. T he purpose of these webinars is to keep members educated on all things that affect your business and the construction industry.


Previous topics, include:




*To access ABC National’s recorded webinars you must apply for a login
Associated Builders and Contractors Announces N ational COVID-19
Safety Stand-down on Thursday, April 23rd
Associated Builders and Contractors is asking members to participate in COVID-19 Safety Stand-downs Thursday, April 23, 2020.
 
We believe having a stand-down is a vital opportunity to persuade employers and workers in construction to ensure their behavior keeps them safe and slows the spread of the virus.
 
Click here for Tool Box Talks and suggestions for hosting and promoting a COVID-19 Safety Stand-down or you can use other resources that your company may have developed. The stand-down can be held digitally, simply by distributing the materials via text or email message. If they are held in person, please be mindful of social distancing guidance during the event.

Finally, we encourage everyone to use the hashtag, #COVID19SafetyStandDown for sharing stories and photos on social media to spread awareness of the merit shop construction industry's stand-down efforts on social media.  
Guidance for Returning an Employee to Work After Recovery from COVID-19
The Empire Chapter has put together guidance from both the Centers for Disease Control and the New York State Department of Health on the best practices for bringing an employee back to work, following their recovery from a positive case of COVID-19.

Guidelines for Employers and Employees Returning to Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As New York State prepares to reopen businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Empire Chapter is pleased to offer our members COVID-19 practices at the office and on the jobsite for both employers and employees.


In the second podcast of this series, Direct Advisors has spoken with thousands of participants regarding retirement planning, and while most of that time is spent planning how to get dollars into their retirement plan (e.g., how much to save, how to invest), it is equally important that participants understand how that money will come back out. We’re all saving for a reason, and that is to eventually use this money. This podcast will explore what options you can offer your employees and if your retirement plan is designed efficiently and correctly.