Employees
ABC Declares Major Victory as Federal Court Overturns NLRB “Ambush” Elections Rule
Washington, D.C. – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today overturned a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) “ambush” elections rule because it was adopted without the statutorily required quorum of NLRB members.
“This is a great victory for the merit shop construction industry, and employers and employees across the country,” said ABC Vice President of Federal Affairs Geoffrey Burr. “The new procedures, which went into effect April 30, made it more difficult for employees to make a fully informed decision concerning union representation.
“We said all along that the “ambush” elections rule was made in haste without regard or consideration to the proper procedures, and that the rule would have a negative impact on the nation’s small businesses,” Burr said.
The rule was challenged by the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
To view this news release on ABC’s website, click here.
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Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association with 74 chapters representing 22,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms. Visit us at www.abc.org.
ABC Teams with Red Cross to Assist Midwest Tornado Victims
Easterday Construction Co., Inc. is a proud member of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and has been for decades. We have had employees serve on boards and committees at the local and state levels as part of our commitment to this organization. We have sent employees through the apprenticeship program and we often take advantage of their seminars, webinars and safety training. They’re an organization we believe in.
ABC has teamed up with the American Red Cross to help with disaster relieve for the Midwest tornado victims. They are encouraging members and associates to help with this effort. If you would like to contribute to this cause and promote ABC’s efforts, you can do so here. Please consider a contribution to help this worthy cause.
Heritage Park
The above picture in a recent Culver Citizen caused a “blast from the past”, reminding me of our work on Heritage Park when it was first constructed back in 1997. We were commissioned to build the trellis panels and the arbor. The design was created by Mark Holeman (Mark M. Holman, Inc.) and was all custom sized and dimensioned. Mr. Holeman even custom sized the lattice which was constructed in a square pattern in lieu of the standard diagonal pattern. This was our first project with Mr. Holeman, but we have since worked with him on several projects around Culver and in other locations.
Richard Fisher of The Antiquarian and Historical Society of Culver coordinated various contractors to complete the park, so we were only involved with the carpentry. At that time our best carpenter for this kind of work was Ansel “Uncle Bud” Cripe. He was semi-retired and only working on custom woodworking projects such as cabinetry, railings and such. He was in his late seventies, turning 78 in September of ’97. He mumbled and groaned about the project, shaking his head, uttering an occasional signature “lawzy!” as he went through making patterns, gluing multiple layers to create the curved tops on the trellis panels and working through the intricacies of mounting the circle within the custom lattice for the arbor.
Per Mr. Holeman’s specifications, all of the wood used was redwood. Also per specifications it was all #1 clear redwood. This made the material costs high. There was no margin for error! Fasteners were non-staining, exterior grade. The glue and fillers also had to be exterior grade. Everything was built in sections at our shop. One of our crews assembled the pieces on site under Uncle Bud’s direction. Throughout the entire project, Richard Fisher was never far from the process. He came to our shop to review the progress and was also on site when the assembly was completed.
As with most carpenters, Uncle Bud loved working with high quality wood and he treated this project with reverence and respect. He spoke of it with pride in subsequent years, though he could never understand why they took that beautiful clear redwood and painted it green! Sacrilege! Particularly after he had carefully fit joints and hidden fasteners since the original plan was to only apply a clear sealer.
If you would want to support Heritage Park through the purchase of a commemorative brick, the Antiquarian and Historical Society of Culver has them for sale here. Bricks are available in single and double sizes. You can find a map of brick locations and a copy of Mark Holeman’s original site plan here.
Unfortunately both Uncle Bud and Richard have passed away. They are each unique characters from our past that are missed.
Congratulations to Leroy and Margaret Bean
Anniversary Announcement from the Pilot News, Wednesday, July 17, 2011
All of us at Easterday Construction Co., Inc. would like to congratulate Leroy and Margaret Bean on 50 years of marriage this week. Leroy and Margaret were part of the Easterday Construction family for over 40 years when Leroy retired. Leroy started here October 1st, 1961 as a truck driver and retired as a Site Superintendent demonstrating the potential for advancement in a Merit Shop company. We’ve been proud to watch Leroy become an active community volunteer in his retirement, working dilegently with the Lions Club, the Grace United Church of Christ and recently serving on the Culver Park Board.
Best wishes to Leroy and Margaret for many more happy years! There will be a reception for Leroy and Margaret at the Vandalia Railroad Station in Culver on July 30, 2011 from 1 to 5 pm.
Just for fun, you can see a reprint of an employee profile on Leroy from The Easterday Parade, our now defunct company newsletter here. This profile appeared in the Vol. I, No. 6, October 1990.
Red Fridays
You might notice some bright red shirts on Easterday Construction Co., Inc. job sites this summer. This is because we’re participating in Red Fridays to support the troops. You can check in here to learn more. We purchased ours through Triple Crown Products if you are interested in participating.
A portion of the proceeds goes to the Wounded Warrior Project. Their mission, “To honor and empower wounded warriors.”
Our employees are participating in this on a strictly voluntary basis. Everyone got a shirt, but it’s up to them if they want to wear it. (Though this past Friday, everyone that had a red shirt on got a $5 on the spot bonus. Ha!) It is a “support the troops” effort and not any kind of political statement. It seemed like a positive way to show our patriotism around the 4th of the July and to promote some camradery on the jobsites with a simple give-away. Consider checking out the Wounded Warrior Project, the USO or Bugles Across America. All good organizations that support our troups and their families at home and abroad.
Our Customers Say…
Ronald W Liechty - President, Garden Court, Inc.