ABC-SEMI Issue 1 2018

6 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. Advocacy: Prevailing Wage/Union Salting This past year, we continued to be your voice by promoting and advocating the values of merit shop. Our advocacy arm, ABC of Michigan, and ABC SEMI President Keith Ledbetter represented us nation- ally, locally and at the state capitol in Lansing on issues such as union salting, labor law and workforce development, to name a few. We were also involved in establishing a fund to gain the needed signatures to put the issue of repealing prevail- ing wage on the ballot. An initiative that has gained momentum and is anticipated by the time this article prints will be approved to be voted on during the 2018 election cycle. ABC SEMI has created many new al- liances over the last year giving ABC and merit shop a seat at the table. We have created a much stronger working relationship with the Washing- ton Policy Center and National ABC staff thru numerous visits to our nation’s Capital supporting and championing our cause to our elected leaders. In addition, we have had numerous visits with our board and local legislators at our Madison Heights headquarters. Congressman Paul Mitchell, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Lt. Governor Brian Calley, State Representative Pete Lucido, and many others have attended board meetings and ABC SEMI functions to speak to our members about the issues that will impact their business and the state’s economy. Communications The ABC SEMI team welcomed Ashley Weaver as Director of Communications in January of this year. Ashley is a Central Michigan graduate and has brought a wealth of new and innovative ideas to delivering ABC’s message about the value of the merit shop philosophy. She has reinvented our website and launched SEMCA Instructor Meeting SEMCA classes LEADERS OF TOMORROW bring training closer to you. We most recently hosted a safety class that dealt with the new OSHA Silica Standards and how they will impact our members. We encourage all our members to make themselves aware of the changing safety requirements that OSHA oversees to ensure the safety of their employees and the well-being of their companies. To help with the rising demand of safety concerns for our membership, we brought on John Manor last April as our new Membership and Safety Director, and he has been a great addition to ABC SEMI. Over the past six months, he has connect- ed with members by letting them know about upcoming safety training, fielding class requests, undergone STEP certifi- cation, and starting the new ABC SEMI Safety Committee. John will continue to offer members CPR, First Aid, OSHA 10 and 30 training, Safety Training Evalua- tion Process (STEP) orientation, special- ized safety training as well safety briefs and tool box talks for ABC SEMI. CET has assumed the new DBA of SEMCA JAN SEMCA student Richard Doran competes at National Craft Chamionships in Fort Lauderdale, FL FEB ABC SEMI launches suborganization called Emerging Professionals with hope to guide young people in the construction industry MAR SEMCA Orientation Day 2017 Timeline