Masonry Magazine October 1993 Page. 16
MCAA AND YOU
The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is the only force in the country working for and speaking on behalf of the mason contractor.
Since joining MCAA, I've been asked hundreds of times what the Mason Contractors Association of America does - more specifically, what it does for mason contractors and local contractor chapters. My answer is a simple one - What don't you think the MCAA does for contractors and local groups?
MCAA is the only voice working for and speaking on the behalf of the mason contractor. MCAA promotes an agenda of training and develops programs for mason contractors and their employees. MCAA provides strong representation in Washington to promote a fair and equal playing field for mason contractors. MCAA continues to develop and offer a broad program of technological and promotional leadership to encourage larger, better opportunities for mason contractors.
That sounds great, but what does all of that mean and just what does MCAA do?
Legislative Influence
One of MCAA's primary functions is to keep abreast of the national issues in Washington affecting the masonry industry, and attempt to influence those issues in favor of the masonry industry and specifically the mason contractor. Many contractors' eyes glaze over when they hear about Washington, and legislation and government regulation.
If they realized the scope of the legislation currently being talked about by our legislators in Washington, many would hang up their trowels as soon as the legislation was passed. MCAA, supported by the dues members pay, fights the over-regulation imposed on contractors by agencies such as OSHA.
Current bills being proposed such as the Striker Replacement, Comprehensive OSHA Reform, OSHA Criminal Penalty Reform, OSHA Construction Safety, Health and Education Improvement, and Mandated Health Benefits Acts will add tremendous cost and constrain contractors to the point that they no longer are running their businesses.
In addition to the MCAA staff and officers working to prevent this from happening, MCAA financially supports an organization called Associated Specialty Contractors - an association comprised of eight national subcontractor associations. ASC has full-time staff in Washington whose sole responsibility is to fight for the subcontractors' rights.
A tremendous amount of MCAA's resources - both financial and staff and member attention - goes to developing and updating educational programs for the contractors and their employees.
MCAA spent a great deal of time and money to update the Rough Terrain Forklift Safety and Maintenance Manual, and is now completing the video supplement to the manual.
A landmark program for the masonry industry which MCAA has been heavily involved in - financially as well as with staff and member support - has been the development of the Masonry Quality Institute (MQI), an intense two-day program designed to focus contractor and employee attention on "doing the job right the first time" and meeting customer expectations 100 percent of the time.
When I talk to contractors about attending an MQI session I often get the brush-off and usually a comment about not wanting to waste time. But MQI is on the horizon, and within the next year or two contractors will be packing every MQI session that we can offer. The reason is that our customers are requiring that their suppliers have a "Quality Improvement Process" implemented in their companies.
If you don't believe me that this will become a reality, just look at the front cover of the new membership directory for the Associated General Contractors where the words Total Quality Management are printed in bold lettering. Read the AGC magazines and you'll find more space devoted to implementing the "Quality Improvement Process and that means hiring subcontractors that have the "Quality Improvement Process" implemented.
MCAA will be launching a comprehensive Safety Program for members in September. The program will include a 100-page formal model safety program, eighty written tool box talks, a video supplement for each tool box talk topic, and the formation of a safety "hotline" where members can call the MCAA offices and have a safety consultant answer their safety questions.
MCAA has also launched a member referral program for masonry customers. Customers can now call the MCAA executive offices and find mason contractors who meet their specifications.
Research Projects
MCAA provides extensive amounts of financial and staff support to the Council for Masonry Research, an industry sponsored group which conducts research to expand the masonry industry. The CMR has just published a Masonry Designers Guide which will be used by architects and masonry customers in making the designing of masonry projects more simplified. CMR is also active with