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Services
Directory & Frequently Asked Questions |
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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MCA... | |
| What is MCA? | |
| The letters MCA stand for the Mason Contractors' Association, Inc., a construction trade association that was established in Detroit in 1908. Since, then, the organization has grown to become the largest and oldest construction association exclusively serving the masonry contracting industry and its affiliated suppliers and service providers in the Southeastern Michigan Region. | |
| What is an Association? | |
| Operating throughout the construction industry, associations are Membership- based organizations that are legally incorporated entities, based on a Constitution and By-Laws, with specific public benefit purposes. As an association, MCA brings together a wide range of collective interests centered on the masonry contracting profession. It brings together contracting companies, suppliers, industry promotion organizations, government, academia, and others with a similar mission of improving the masonry contracting industry in Southeastern Michigan. MCA's collective power in addressing critical masonry contracting industry concerns is much greater than the sum of its parts. An association provides a wide array of services to its members. A description of specific services offered by MCA follows. | |
| What's in MCA's Constitution and By-Laws? | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association Inc.'s Constitution and By-Laws contains, among other things, the requirements of Membership and how it is to be governed. The "heart and soul" of the document is its stated Purposes. As cited in the document, the Purposes of the association are: a) To create and maintain improved conditions and standards in the mason contracting business in the State of Michigan in the interests of its members and the building public. b) To promote reasonable and equitable dealings between construction industry employers, their employees and the public. c) To adopt plans of cooperation between its members and other organized bodies in the construction field, for the betterment of the building industry. d) To take such legislative, administrative, and judicial actions deemed necessary by the Board of Directors to promote the interest of the masonry industry. e) To maintain the highest possible standards of masonry construction in the interest of the general public. f) To negotiate and execute labor agreements for its members including all matters and things which are now or hereafter may be the subject of collective bargaining. (A complete copy of the MCA's Constitution and By-Laws will be provided on request.) | |
| What are MCA's Membership Categories? | |
| The strength of MCA is derived from, among other things, an involved, voluntary membership community. There are two categories of Membership and they are: Contractor Membership, which consists of individual mason contracting businesses that employ union masonry craftsworkers, and, Affiliate Membership, which consists of masonry suppliers and allied service providers. The annual dues for Contractor Members are $100 per year as well as fringe payments for bricklayers at the rate of 10 cents-an-hour up to a cap of 25,000 hours yearly. The annual dues for Affiliate Members are a flat rate of $400 per year. All MCA Memberships are corporate and not individual. | |
| What Services and Benefits Does MCA Provide? | |
| In addition to the specific, tangible services listed and described below, there are agreat number of other, "intangible" services that are a significant part of your MCA Membership package. We like to call these services "MCA's Invisible Advantage." These intangibles include the association's people, ideas, years of collective experience building quality into constructed masonry buildings, and an in-depth drive to help solve pressing business issues facing its Members. The following is a listing of tangible services that differentiate what MCA offers, above and beyond,those offered by other associations. | |
| MCA MEMBERSHIP SERVICES AND BENEFITS Top | |
| NETWORKING | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association provides many opportunities throughout the year to meet your fellow mason contractors, masonry suppliers, and service providers at Membership Meetings, Educational Seminars, Holiday Ball, Golf Outing and Sport's Night events. MCA is people-centered and assists you in solving your business problems and in helping you meet and benchmark your company practices with your fellow MCA members. | |
| GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association constantly monitors pending legislation and regulation at the local, State and Federal levels with an eye on fighting those proposed laws and onerous regulations that will have a negative impact on your mason contracting business and your supplier relations. MCA is also looking for opportunities to support and help introduce new legislative initiatives that will help improve your company's profit picture. MCA is a member of the Construction Industry Legislative Coalition that is working to have "Prompt Pay" legislation introduced in the Michigan Legislature. The MCA Office will also help you identify who your State and Federal lawmakers are, provide you with their contact information, and provide industry information to them on your behalf. | |
| ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association publishes a regular newsletter titled "On the Level". The publication presents timely information, articles and photographs of MCA member activities and events. It also profiles a current masonry construction project being built by an MCA Contractor Member. | |
| COLLECTIVE BARGAINING | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association has a historical track-record of representing the business interests of its Contractor Members in the collective bargaining process. MCA's collective bargaining power is derived from a Contractor Member requirement that they give the association their "powers of attorneys" for the various labor organizations who negotiate with the association. The association believes in sound labor-management cooperation programs and works with all parties to update contract language and reach wage agreements that are realistic to economic conditions. When mason contractors join MCA the become part of a larger voice within the masonry contracting industry in Southeastern Michigan. | |
| PROBLEM SOLVING | |
| An important aspect of MCA Membership is having a full-time office staff to help your company solve a pressing business problem. Your dedicated staff has a significant network of construction industry resources that it can call upon to help you address business operational problems. As an MCA Member company, you might want to call the Office when you have no one else to turn to. We might just have the information you need to address the problem at hand. | |
| CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY | |
| MCA has a good working relationship with masonry industry organizations at the federal, state and local levels. If you have a problem or issue that requires their assistance, we will contact them on your behalf to obtain the needed information, or put you directly in contact with those who can help. | |
| CONSTRUCTION SAFETY PROGRAM | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association has an active Safety Committee that offers specialized safety programs tailored to the needs of mason contractors and their employees. Many of these programs are offered at no charge by the labor unions that are signatory to the MCA labor agreements. MCA, and its Member companies, is committed to having comprehensive safety plans in effect and stressing that "Safety is the Number One Priority" on MCA Member jobsites. MCA has a excellent working relationship with OSHA and MIOSHA officials and supports their work because safe jobsites lower the business costs of Members and prevents the injury of their valued employees and craftworkers. | |
| MASONRY INDUSTRY MARKETING | |
| MCA has an active Marketing Committee that meets regularly to develop programs and plans that promote masonry construction to owners and users. It also promotes the fact that masonry buildings constructed by MCA Contractor members are quality-build. The Marketing Committee also promotes the usage of the MCA emblem by Members in all of their marketing materials and business correspondence. | |
| MASONRY/CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION | |
| Masonry education is an ongoing process. There are always new management methods, estimating & bidding challenges, new legal rulings, new tax laws and a host of other business topics that today's mason contracting businesses need to keep up with. The MCA has a hardworking Education Committee that plans and develops educational programs and seminars tailored to MCA member needs. | |
| BUSINESS PROGRAMS | |
| One of the major purposes of the Mason Contractors' Association is to assist its members with their business problems. The association has success to a vast network of information providers who can assist us in answering your questions about workers' compensation, safety regulations, construction industry standard practice guidelines, construction office operations, financial benchmarking data,< tax information, and employment practices. | |
| JUDICIAL/LEGAL INFORMATION | |
| MCA keeps up to date on any national, state or local laws that impact your mason contracting business. This information is received from various masonry industry sources around the country. From time to time, the association invites prominent local construction legal experts to speak at MCA meetings and seminars. | |
| SOCIAL EVENTS | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association has an enthusiastic and energetic Social Events Committee and a Golf Outing Committee. Throughout the year, these committees develop exciting plans for social events that include golf outing, Sport's Night, Holiday Ball and other interesting activities of interest to association members. | |
| MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT | |
| The Mason Contractors' Association is always looking for new Members who will add to the strength of the overall association. If you are interested in having your masonry contracting or masonry supplier/service provider as a Member of MCA, please contact the MCA Office, 12870 Farmington Road, Suite B, Livonia, Michigan 48150-7350. Phone: 734-522-7350 Fax: 734-522-7435 | |
Office
Manager: Carol
Burkhart |
12870
Farmington Road, Suite B - Livonia, MI 48150-7350
Phone: 734-522-7350 Fax: 734-522-7435
Phone: 734-522-7350 Fax: 734-522-7435