Are We Stuck in 1980? I looked at that chart of women in construction, and something snapped in me. This is not 1980; it’s 2010. So I sent the link to my friends in the Maine Society of Women Engineers, the local high school guidance office, the carpentry teacher at the vocational school, the dean of engineering at the University of Maine and others. I put it on Facebook and LinkedIn. So, thank you for your interesting and informative chart, and I’ve spread it around for you. I don’t think I’m done being mad about it. Helen C. Watts PrincipalHelen
This time of year many of us in engineering and construction are receiving phone calls from politicians looking for campaign contributions. The rules cap the amount of money a firm can give a candidate, and provide guidelines on gifts and services offered to government employees. SCHWARTZ They remind me how much I love pay-to-play rules. There was a time when these calls would be cause for all sorts of handwringing. If we didn’t give, we all felt we would be on the losers list. I can’t tell you what a great relief it is to be able to tell a
The campaign by the Portland Cement Association and the Institute for Building and Home Safety to promote proposed building code changes included in the High Performance Building Requirements for Sustainability 2.0 is not new: The majority of these proposals have been put forward by PCA and the Masonry Alliance, an umbrella group repre-senting all masonry-related trade associations, in each code development cycle since the International Building Code (IBC) was first published in 2000. The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) has and will continue to vigorously oppose this effort. BURTON Each and every year, PCA proposals have been soundly rejected
Airline passengers bearing one-way tickets often elicit a closer look from airport security. Thus, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at San Francisco International Airport considered it a routine search when they stopped a man with a one-way ticket from China. Stuffed in his suitcases were 1,500 circuit breakers, all counterfeit. According to industry experts familiar with the case, the man was a former employee of Square D, a large manufacturer of electrical components in Palatine, Ill. Officials later discovered that another shipment of one million counterfeit Square D breakers had slipped past security, spreading through the marketplace like a
Some clients have been asking contractors to take on unnecessary risks without providing a significant reward for the risks taken. However, during these economically challenged times, I believe it is in the best interest of the construction industry to stand up for itself and refuse to sign contracts that assign risk without any benefits. SIEGEL Life is full of uncertainties, and we readily take on risk every day the for benefits we receive. For example, driving a car is very risky, and every year more than 40,000 people are killed in car accidents—that’s one person every 13 minutes. Nevertheless, we
Norman F. Anderson is CEO of CG/LA, a private consultant devoted mainly to infrastructure investment and development. CG/LA is hosting the 2nd North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. (www.cg-la.com) Photo: CG/LA Anderson believes North American infrastructure investment is crucial for jobs What is the theme of this year’s CG/LA conference? We’re focused on the top 100 projects in North America. The idea is to focus on projects that will generate economic competitiveness. We need to focus on tripling the level of infrastructure in North America. It was 3% of the GDP in 1980. Now
People expect more transparent, timely and useful information, especially from government. Make no mistake that if government doesn’t provide it, the public will find it somewhere else. That’s why it’s so important the construction industry understands it has the ability to engage the public using the latest non-traditional media tools. Already, many of the largest federal and state agencies are creating their own newsrooms; they are not only pushing out information but engaging in what is being called the Open Government Movement or Government 2.0. COLE In addition to offering traditional outreach via meetings, handouts and newsletters, public-relations professionals for
Belaboring Labor Board Your recent editorial regarding the National Labor Relations Board’s decision on bannering seemed to be based on the premise that, because the best interests of the industry rest on having robust union and open-shop employers, the industry is better off if the labor law is interpreted by the boards so that both are healthy. I am disappointed that ENR would seek to engage in an exercise intended to balance the equities rather than to take a position that is based exclusively on simply supporting what is right and promotes free and open competition for the entire construction
Did you take your best-ever construction photo this year? We invite you to share it with everyone by entering it in ENR’s annual “The Year in Construction” photo contest. The contest, now in its tenth year, has grown in popularity. Last year, we received 1,752 entries, which is considerably more than 2008. Every year, the editors say the photos are improving in quality—and that’s not hype. Cameras are improving in ease of use and in their ability to capture a photographer’s intent. Moreover, with the proliferation of picture-taking devices—from cell phones and the vast range of digital cameras to video
If ever there were a dispute in which the outcome depended on the details, it is the question of whether a union may legally display banners or inflatable rats or hold mock funerals outside of businesses that use open-shop contractors. Is it free speech or an illegal boycott under the labor law? With one exception, we think the highly politicized National Labor Relations Board got this decision right—the 3-2 vote that supported the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Local 1506, in Arizona. Photo: AP/Charlie Nye There are at least 10 other cases pending involving the use of
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