Masonry Magazine December 2000 Page. 14
2) Material Handling Show added new features at the Orlando Convention.
1) At a board meeting in Las Vegas, thin line mortar is demonstrated by representatives of Dow Chemical Company.
3) The highlight of the 1985 conference was the pre-conference seminar on Computer Assisted Masonry Estimating.
4) Tom Murphy, President of Bricklayers Union (left, seated) and Joe Szabo (right seated) sign official document creating the international pension fund. Standing (left to right) John T. Joyce and O.L. Jolly.
5) Reno Fabbri (right) and officials of the Arketex Ceramic Corp. discuss packaging of glaze tile.
6) Pittsburgh Steelers great Rocky Blair speaks at the Opening Session Breakfast.
motion was seconded by Bob Fulcher of Nashville, Tennessee and was unanimously approved. The new organization was now officially in business.
During the past fifty years MCAA has had many major accomplishments that not only helped the masonry industry but the entire construction industry as well. From expanding the use of masonry, to protecting the rights of mason contractors, the MCAA has been involved in contractor issues. In the late sixties a Texas Court ruled that contractors were not parties to a jurisdictional dispute. The
"...the fifty years have been spiced with victories and defeats, but the primary objectives and purposes of the association have never been compromised."
case was taken to the Supreme Court. Seeing the danger in this matter, the MCAA formed a collation of subcontractor groups to fight this decision. The Supreme Court eventually overturned the lower court decision, consequently saving MCAA members a tremendous amount of money by allowing them to defend their work assignments on forklifts, scaffolding and other masonry equipment.
A great deal of change has occurred in how masonry is constructed in the United States. Starting this evolution was MCAA's Material Handling Committee, which served as a catalyst for a more efficient and productive masonry operation. This committee created the he motivation motivation for for the the masonry industry to develop packaging and handling equipment to meet the need of the mason contractor and productivity on the job site.
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Weather has always been a big factor in masonry construction as it dictates the work schedule. The All-Weather Committee, headed by the MCAA, produced a nationally recognized industry standard for both hot and cold weather masonry construction.
MCAA's participation in the Construction Industry Stabilization Committee, created by President Nixon during the early seventies, was a true recognition of MCAA's stature. The MCAA was actively involved as this program stabilized the wage structure for construction workers in a very unsettled period.
The Association's Management Institute was an unprecedented program that has provided MCAA members with the opportunity to advance their skills in financial planning, contract development, management, estimating and computer skills. The estimating seminars alone have been attended by over 3,200 members, with new courses being developed for presentation.
Apprentice training, promotion and a bricklayers nation-wide pension fund have also been leading programs shepherded by the MCAA. Our efforts to tackle the very sensitive wall-bracing issue and to develop a recommended practice was exemplory of our strong leadership abilities.
MCAA's most significant accomplishment has been to serve as a catalyst to bridge the gap between special industry interests. The association has successfully unified these groups into a strong working team that has been able to solve many of the industry problems.
MCAA as an international trade association, has provided the nation's mason contractors with a vehicle to secure and obtain objectives that might not have been possible as individuals. Through cooperative efforts, they have made tremendous progress and will continue to do so in the future.
It's been a long journey exciting and wonderful. The fifty years have been spiced with victories and defeats, Continued on page 16