|
Still Waiting to
Make Reservations for the Dominican Republic?
We
still have a handful of rooms available, but per our contract with the
resort, we must decrease the number of unreserved rooms. If you have
not made your reservations yet, please contact OCA by Tuesday, December
22. After this date, most, if not all, unreserved rooms will be
released. Contact Rachel Sirca with questions about convention
details.
Convention
Excursions
If you plan on joining any of the OCA
excursions, you should reserve as soon as possible. Our travel agent
needs a good idea as to how many people to expect. Equipment needs to
be reserved ahead of time such as boats, buses, etc. If everyone
waits to register for excursions, the travel agent will not be able to
reserve the equipment and we will need to cancel the excursion. If
you are able to tell us prior to December 22 what excursions you wish to
attend, it would help tremendously! Contact Rachel Sirca with
questions. Excursion
information.
Contractors – Make Your Voice Heard & Participate
in the ARTBA Quarterly Survey
The
American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), our national
affiliate, is now
conducting its 4th Quarter 2015 Industry Conditions Survey and
would appreciate your participation. As in the past, ARTBA will use the
survey results in its advocacy efforts by showing elected officials and the
media true “on the ground conditions” within the industry. This survey
takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, asks for general information, and is
confidential. Responses are due January 6, 2016. Take the survey online by
clicking here.
Changes to ODOT Prequalification Limits
The Ohio Department of Transportation has
asked OCA to notify our members of recently enacted legislation that
modifies the dollar limits for annual financial reviews/audits; the maximum
amount of work a non-prequalified subcontractor may perform annually; and
the maximum amount of work non-prequalified subcontractors may perform on
ODOT projects. For more information, click here.
City of Columbus Expanding use of Bid Express
The
City of Columbus recently announced they will expand the use of Bid
Express for advertising and receiving construction bids. By
mid-January, all departments will be using Bid Express. Training will
begin in January, and it will be necessary to sign up for an account.
For more details and instructions, please click here.
Support
Apprenticeship- Our Future Workforce
OCA’S
Workforce Development Taskforce has prioritized the recruitment and
retention of our industry’s future workers. One of our goals is the modernization
and improvement of our Apprenticeship and Training programs. We hope
to ultimately improve any and all processes of education, training and
apprenticeship that will help to steer and the best and most capable
candidates toward rewarding careers in the construction industry. All
of us must work together to insure the success of our Apprenticeship and
Training programs. Simply making a commitment to hire and utilize
Apprentices is one way OCA contractors can help to insure that we are
properly preparing our future workforce. Our Apprenticeship
Programs need to know what types of skills and how many workers are
needed. Following are some vacancies on the Laborers’ local
Apprenticeship sub-committees. Contractors are needed for input on
local employment and skill demands. We ask that you review this
information and volunteer to serve if you can.
The Laborers’ JATC sub-committee of Middletown, Dayton
and Lima would like to add a highway contractor (or two), to assist in
workforce development.
In addition, the Laborers’ JATC sub-committee of
Zanesville/Newcomerstown has a need for an employer representative.
Currently, Justin Hitchins (Beaver Const.) and Chuck Hathaway (Hathaway
Const.) serve on the committee.
Finally, we also have an opportunity for a contractor
representative in the Warren/Youngstown local.
If you are
willing and able to serve on any of the above listed Apprenticeship
sub-committees, please contact Mark Potnick in the OCA office.
Opportunities
in Transportation Safety
We are looking for questions for an Ask the Owner Q&A
with ODOT!
The
Ohio Department of Transportation continually strives to improve the
standards and processes in which work is performed in Ohio. In 2016 there
will be a new specification book published and ODOT is embarking on an
extensive Asset Preservation Management program. Also, the Department is
moving toward electronic change order approvals and there are changing
requirements with regard to DBE goals. These, and many more, changes are
coming in 2016. ODOT wants to help engineering firms, contractors and other
owners remain current by answering YOUR
questions, giving direction and assisting with where to find answers.
Please submit your Ask the Owner questions
here www.ohioatssa.com by January 1,
2016. Then join us at Opportunities in Transportation Safety on March 3, 2016
to hear the answers.
Proposed I-9 Changes
Intended to Reduce Errors
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is seeking public comment on a
new draft Form I-9 used to verify
eligibility to work in the U.S.
According
to a Nov. 24 announcement from the USCIS, many of the proposed changes are
aimed at reducing technical errors and helping users complete it after they
download it from the agency's website. Along those lines, the new form
would:
·
check certain fields to ensure information
is entered correctly;
·
provide additional spaces to enter multiple
preparers and translators;
·
include drop-down lists and calendars;
·
provide instructions on the screen that
users can access to complete each field;
·
include buttons allowing users to access
the instructions electronically, print the form and clear the form to start
over;
·
provide a dedicated area to enter additional
information that employers currently have to enter in the margins of the
form; and
·
generate a quick-response matrix barcode,
or QR code, once the form is printed, that can be used to streamline audit
processes.
The USCIS
said it also is proposing to:
·
require employees to provide only other
last names that they have used when completing Section 1, rather than
listing all other names used;
·
streamline the certification in Section 1
for certain foreign nationals; and
·
separate the instructions from the form
itself to bring it in line with the USCIS's practices.
Comments
are due by Jan. 25, 2016. Text of the draft I-9 is available at http://src.bna.com/bgH, and the USCIS's
Federal Register notice at http://src.bna.com/bgI.
|