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December 21, 2021

Mandates. Guidelines. Protocols.

Everything You Need to Know to Close Out 2021 and Prepare for the Year Ahead!

December 8, 2021 Member Forum Recap

IECRM is honored to provide our members with value-rich forums that pertain to our industry. Below you will find a bulleted recap of the discussion and helpful links to resources.

Watch the VIDEO RECORDING of this week’s forum:  Mandates. Guidelines. Protocols: Everything you Need to Know to Close Out 2021 and Prepare for the Year Ahead! If you have any questions to ask of our subject matter experts or suggestions for future Member Forums, please contact IECRM CEO Marilyn Akers Stansbury at [email protected].

RELEVANT RESOURCES

Where we are on vaccine mandates on the Federal level?

  • OSHA ETS was put on hold by the 5th Circuit court in November.  Lawsuits were filed throughout the county.
  • All suits are moved to one court (the 6th Circuit Court won the lottery).  OSHA has asked the 6th Circuit to remove the stay of order while litigation is going on. They asked them to accelerate the briefing but that was also denied.
  • OSHA has asked the Court to move it back to the 5th Circuit. That is not going to happen.  They also asked for all judges in the 6th Circuit to hear.  That’s not how it works.  It is three judges that will rule.  All deadlines are currently on hold.
  • “All deadlines are currently on hold.” What does this mean?  In the interim, it is advised to get the vaccination status of employees which is legal.  In Colorado, it is ok to get the vaccination status of employees.  That is not true in all states, so check if you are outside of Colorado.  
  • Question about gathering vaccine status – for a period of time, it was not recommended to get a copy of vaccine cards but to just ask yes/no questions.  You can do it either way.  If the OSHA ETS goes forward, then you may have to have this record accessible for six months.  You should not have to worry about the 30-year record retention.
  • Federal Contractor Mandate
    • Yesterday, a federal judge put the mandate on hold for all states.  Waiting to see Federal response to this hold on the mandate. 
    • Recommended:  Wait and see what comes out federally or what is required by the contracting officer.  
    • It is not recommended to terminate any federal contract workers at this time. 
    • Question – is the testing now not acceptable for Federal contracts?  The Federal rule was MUST be vaccinated unless the worker has a medical or religious exemption.  That was the only exemption for testing accommodation. Officially, you did not have to be in compliance yet because the rule was to be in place on January 18, 2022.
  • The other mandate that was put on hold was the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) which stated that all health care facilities had to mandate vaccinations.  15 major companies have done away with their vaccine mandates so far.  That doesn’t impact our contractors as much because our state mandates supersede this mandate.

On the State level:

  • Still have mandate for health care workers.
  • Mandate still in place for contractors going into state buildings. The city of Denver (still under litigation) requires vaccination as well. Have not seen a judge issue a stay on that.  Still in effect.
  • So basically, the Fed mandates are on hold, but others (like Jeffco, Denver, etc) can enforce the mandates that they have come out with?  As can private employers – correct?  This is correct unless you apply for exemption with CDHE because you have 95% or higher vaccination rate.  Private employers can have their own rules that are tighter than the state or county mandates.

Paid Sick Leave in 2022?  

Equal Pay Act 

  • Starting to see complaints about that.  
  • In 2021, the state has been in an education mode but will likely transition into enforcement mode in 2022.
  • High level – you have to give notice to all employees prior to promoting someone else in the company.  
    • Question: As an electrical contractor, we have apprentices that are getting ready to test for journeymen.  If they pass the test, do we have to post an “open” position since they will be considered journeymen (new position) and receive a bump in pay?  
    • Answer:  It does fit within the notice requirement but a static notice can work as long as the notification goes out 24 hours prior to promotion. (See CDL Statement #9)


Distribution Issues 

The 11/14 episode of 60 Minutes has an entire segment dedicated to the topic of Freight Expectations that is very informative. It is the first segment of the episode.

  • What are you seeing?  What do you expect to see differently in 2022?
    • Logistical issues-shortage of truck drivers.  We can often meet production schedules but have challenges getting products out.
    • With inflation, everything is more expensive
  • Outlook? This will continue in 2022 but hopefully, it will be better by mid-year.
  • As a global company, what other countries are doing impacts it as well. Some countries have shut down again with new variants. 
  • Recommended engaging earlier in what your needs may be.

Ideas on Giving Bids/Quotes

  • Question: Without being able to project costs and delivery of product, how can a contractor give an accurate bid? 
  • Answer:  Quotes used to be good for 30 days but with the current climate, this is not necessarily true today.  Build-in some flexibility.  It has to remain very fluid.
  • There are challenges to passing along the most up-to-date information.  Some quotes are factored with the price hikes, while others are not. 
  • Locally, the pressure that they are finding is also in the workforce (getting drivers and additional staff) that is causing issues of getting materials to the contractors where and when they need it.
  • Q:  What are the things that seem to be more challenging from a product standpoint than others?
    • Switchgear is the highest needed item
    • PVC is still an issue – still slow in arriving
    • A lot of plastic materials have a long lead time (up to six months or so)
  • The real key to all of this is to communicate – make your needs known well in advance of when you actually need them onsite.  Read the emails you are receiving from your distributor.  You may not like what they see, but the information is important to know.

Transition to digital format over phone calls or in-person visits.  This gives you control over when you are ordering, requesting a quote, etc.  This helps expedite the process.  This will also give you the opportunity to see the availability of materials and current pricing. 

IECRM Self-Pay Tuition Policy

 

Self-pay students who are employed with a member company must register and pay through the member company using the IECRM Flashpoint Enrollment Portal/Process in order to qualify for member rates.

Self-pay students that are employed with a member company but that do not register and pay through the member will be charged the non-member rate for tuition, books and applicable fees.


Self-pay students who are employed with a member company and require a payment plan will not qualify for the member rate and will be charged the non-member rate for tuition, books and applicable fees.


Self-pay students who do not work for a member company will continue to be charged the non-member rate for tuition, books and applicable fees.


To maximize association/membership benefits, ALL member companies are encouraged to register and pay for all enrolled apprentices utilizing internal payment arrangements and processes between employer and employee.


We value our IECRM members and apprentice community. We encourage all apprentices to be enrolled in the four-year apprenticeship program, earning, and learning their way toward Journeyworker licensure. We encourage all members to utilize the member discount for tuition, books and applicable fees to ensure the long-term support and success of the next-generation electrician.


(Payment Plans are available, please reference the Self Pay Payment Plan Policy.)


Self-Pay Payment Plan Policy


We offer the following arrangements for students that are unable to pay in full at the time of registration.


● Self-pay students will be charged the non-member rate.
● A 50% down payment of total semester tuition, books and applicable fees are due at registration.
● Remaining balance can be divided up to 3 additional monthly payments ($10.00 processing fee applies on each installment)
● All payments that are declined will incur a $20.00 NSF fee.

 

We encourage all students who are employed with a member company to work with their employer to register and pay through the IECRM Flashpoint Enrollment Portal/Process. This will ensure the student is paying the lowest possible rate for tuition, books and applicable fees.