a:26:{s:9:"weblog_id";s:1:"5";s:8:"entry_id";s:0:"";s:6:"sticky";s:0:"";s:14:"allow_comments";s:1:"n";s:16:"allow_trackbacks";s:1:"n";s:10:"entry_date";s:19:"2008-03-29 01:37 PM";s:15:"expiration_date";s:0:"";s:23:"comment_expiration_date";s:0:"";s:8:"category";a:1:{i:0;s:2:"11";}s:9:"author_id";s:1:"1";s:6:"status";s:4:"open";s:14:"trackback_urls";s:0:"";s:18:"versioning_enabled";s:1:"y";s:5:"title";s:21:"Electrical Disconnect";s:9:"url_title";s:21:"electrical_disconnect";s:6:"submit";s:6:"Submit";s:11:"field_id_20";s:21:"Electrical Disconnect";s:11:"field_ft_20";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_25";s:1:"4";s:11:"field_id_21";s:0:"";s:11:"field_ft_21";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_22";s:0:"";s:11:"field_ft_22";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_23";s:4397:"<p>Walking to my car late one afternoon recently I was impressed by the
newly-activated sculptural light show atop the Lumiere Casino and
Hotels. Below the light display hung a banner several stories high
reading \"Lighting Up the St. Louis Night\". The hotel is a showplace of
the electrical industry\'s skill and technology.</p>
<p>How
ironic that the hotel/casino project, also the subject of a cover story
in this issue was Ground Zero in the current acrimonious battle between
the Carpenters and the Electricians unions. The motorized blinds and
furniture lighting at the hotel were only the stalking horse for a
larger question: How will the turf be divided on this area\'s major
projects going forward?</p>
<p>Both CNR Editor Peter Downs and I have spent a lot of time speaking
with all of the parties involved. To the credit of those involved this
confl ict has not played out in the media. Some in the industry believe
the issue will \"resolve itself\". I am skeptical of this stance only
because the current scenario has a lot of significant disconnects
involved.</p>
<h2>There are disconnects with the truth:</h2>
<p><img alt=\"Tom Finan, Publisher\" src=\"/tinymce/uploaded/tom-nd07.jpg\" />There have been allegations that the stop work orders on the project
were nothing more than thinly-veiled eff orts by the (union member)
electrical inspectors to carve out jurisdictional turf for their fellow
union brothers. The other side of the story says that the work
stoppages were for clear code violations, one of them flagrant.
According to some of our sources the motorized blinds are mandated by
the electrical code for installation by licensed electricians. An
attempt by the carpenters to have the units modified at the factory did
not change that requirement. According to some sources, the furniture
lighting fixtures were clearly marked with red labels stating that they
were not suitable for contact with wood. The installers were apprised
of that fact, our sources said, but installed the light fixtures
anyway, resulting in the stop work order. What is the truth?</p>
<p>Terry Nelson of the Carpenters\' District Council told the IEC
contractors that he had the blessing and funding of his international
union. Representatives of the international have told some of our
sources that Nelson had applied for a training grant and that the union
had not sanctioned the formation of a new carpenters\' local devoted to
electrical work. What is the truth?</p>
<p>Is this an effort to modify the licensing requirements for certain
types of work? If that effort is in the best interests of public safety
and consumer value, wouldn\'t a straightforward, truthful approach be a
better way to go?</p>
<h2>There are disconnects with longstanding relationships:</h2>
<p>The day I wrote this column I attended my 30th Electrical Board
Annual Christmas Mixer. In the room at the Chase Hotel were over 1,000
persons &mdash; contractors, union representatives, designers, association
executives, manufacturers\' reps &mdash; all connected by their working
partnerships in an industry that dates in this town to the 1904 World\'s
Fair.</p>
<p>Ours is an industry based on relationships. Our industry works
because team members cover one another\'s backs. To suggest, as one
association executive did, that what Terry Nelson has proposed is
simply one more alternative to IBEW and non-union electrical
contractors totally ignores the collateral damage that these sorts of
turf grabs inflict.</p>
<p>When I was growing up in the \'50s and \'60s my dad, the founder of
this magazine, was a subcontractor who installed and maintained powered
entrance doors and parking gates. From almost the beginning of the
business in 1951 he ran composite crews of electricians and carpenters
who literally worked side by side with one another. Remember that these
were the \"bad old days\" of St. Louis unions. The guys who worked for my
dad realized that having electricians and carpenters working
side-by-side (frequently one of each would ride out on service calls in
the same truck. They worked that way because it was the only way that
the company could get the job done profitably and protect their future
employment. Our industry needs to resolve the current disconnects that
disregard truth and devalue relationships and reconnect with honoring
the common good and delivering value to the consumer.</p>";s:11:"field_id_24";s:0:"";s:10:"category_0";s:2:"11";}