BJC Connects With Electrical Leaders

A meeting last Thursday among leadership of BJC, the St. Louis Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and IBEW Local 1 appears to have overcome the potential ramifications of a communication short-circuit.

Earlier in the week, "What's a commercial wireman?" seemed to be the question of the hour, after general contractors and consultants in the BJC "toolbox" received a letter from Steve Cockerham, vice president, BJC Planning Design and Construction directing them to no longer use IBEW Local 1 commercial wiremen on BJC projects.

"At BJC HealthCare we are dedicated to providing the safest and highest caliber construction projects," the letter stated. "To maintain this standard we are mandating that there shall be No Commercial Wiremen assigned to any BJC Healthcare projects effective immediately (emphasis is Cockerham's). Each vendor is solely responsible for verifying that no Commercial Wiremen are assigned on any BJC Healthcare projects." (Click to read full text of letter.)

Associated General Contractors of St. Louis President Len Toenjes said that at his board of directors meeting shortly after the mandate was issued AGC board members were all scratching their heads as to exactly what the implications of the letter were. Cockerham's letter closely mirrored the reasoning of a website post by Carpenters' District Council Local 57 organizer and Business Agent Dominic Grasso. (Click to read post).

A meeting was arranged among Cockerham, Doug Martin, NECA executive director, and Steve Licari, business manager of Local 1 to clarify the issues and improve comunication among the parties. After meeting with Cockerham, Martin and Licari agreed that the reasons and terms for usage of commercial wiremen could and should have been better communicated to both BJC and to the construction industry as a whole. To that end they issued a procedure for placement of commercial wiremen click to read), a letter certifying that standards for the commercial wiremen would conform to all government and industry apprentice program standards (click to read) , and a document addressed to the construction industry explaining the program (click to read).

The commercial wireman classification was created by agreement of IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter NECA in 2010 as part of a market recovery effort. Commercial wiremen, also known as probationary apprentices, are selected under an identical selection process to regular apprentices. Previously, Martin and Licari said, workers could only enter the workforce when there was sufficient demand for a full class of apprentices — typically 30-50 workers. Traditional apprentices attend class one day per week and work on the jobsite the other four days. Probationary apprentices are drug-tested prior to referral and are immediately provided OSHA 10-hour safety training and assigned to entry-level, night school classes.

Commercial wiremen can work up to 2,000 hours under a commercial wireman card.  The use of commercial wiremen — who must work under the direct supervision and tutelage of a journeyman — allows contractors to create a pricing mix that is more attractive to owners during a time when the depressed construction economy has limited the entry of new apprentices, Martin and Licari said.

Cockerham's letter noted that IBEW national agreement projects, government work, and work under other agreements is precluded from the wireman rate. Martin explained that National Agreement work and work under special agreements have specific limitations upon worker classifications and their own set rates, as do government projects.

Martin said that the meeting with Cockerham pointed out to the IBEW/NECA leadership the need to better communicate market recovery efforts to the industry and to owners going forward.

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