The Mason Contractors’ Association (MCA) is a member of the Construc-tion Coalition of Michigan (CCOM) that is working to get a Construction Per-formance Payment Bills (Prompt Pay legislation) passed in Michigan.

To date, two bills have been introduced in the Michigan Legislature inLansing containing the legislation, Michigan House Bills 4509 and 4510. Thebills are currently before the House Committee on Government Operations.

Michigan House Bills 4509 and 4510 are being sponsored by State Repre-sentative Daniel Acciavetti. MCA Members are urged to write RepresentativeAcciavetti, giving their support for his bills. Letters should be addressed to:Representative Daniel Acciavetti, NO796 House Office Building, P.O. Box30014, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7514. If you need a sample letter, pleasecontact Joe Neussendorfer at the MCA office and one will be faxed to you.

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M a s o n C o n t ra c t o r s ’ A s s o c i a t i o n , I n c . • Vo l . 5 , S p r i n g - S u m m e r 2 0 0 5

On the

MCA Supports Pending “Construction Performance PaymentBills” in Michigan Legislature

Pictured above is Dennis Siekierski, President of the American Subcon-tractor’s Association – Southeastern Michigan Chapter, who spoke at arecent MCA Contractors’ meeting on the pending Prompt Pay bills.

J. R. Snyder, Sr., Masonry’s Legend, Passes AwayThe founder of the Masonry Institute of Michigan

(MIM) and long-time organizer and leader of the DetroitMason Contractors Association, James R. Snyder, Sr., 81,passed away on May 7, 2005 at his Detroit home. Mr.Snyder worked tirelessly to help create a better masonryconstruction industry that we could all be proud of. MCA,its Officers, Board of Directors and Staff, extends its heart-felt sympathy to the Snyder family.

Memorial contributions may be made to the “J. R.Snyder Memorial Scholarship Fund” and mailed to theMasonry Institute of Michigan, 12870 Farmington Road,Suite A, Livonia, Michigan 48150. For a complete tribute on Mr. Snyder go to the MIM website: http://www.mim-online.org/news.html

James R. Snyder, Sr.

MCA Observes 97 Years of Service To Southeastern Michigan’s Masonry IndustryThe Mason Contractors’ Association (MCA) was founded in year 1908. This year, MCA is observing its 97th Anniversary. Over the years, MCA

has become the oldest and largest construction association exclusively serving the business, industrial, educational and service needs of the masonrycontracting industry in Southeastern Michigan. MCA’s membership consists of mason contractors as well as those who provide support services tothem. This includes materials producers, manufacturers and distributors as well as equipment and masonry-related businesses. MCA would liketo thank all of the groups and individuals who have helped make MCA such a pre-eminent mason contractors’ organization. Many groups, such asthe Detroit Mason Contractors Association, have made significant historical contributions toward MCA’s successful evolution. MCA offers a wide arrayof services to its members, among them: collective bargaining with the Laborers and Bricklayers Unions (Bricklayers Locals 1 and 9; and Labor-ers Locals 334 and 1076). Other services include educational programs, membership meetings, Sports Night Program, Detroit Tigers’ Home Opener,golf outing, comprehensive safety programs, legislative news, masonry industry informational and industrial programs. If non-MCA members receiv-ing this newsletter who are on our prospect list would like to join MCA, please contact the MCA Office at (734) 522-7350.

The Mason Contractors’ Association gives special recognition to LABORERS’ LOCALS #334 AND #1076 LABORERS-EMPLOYERSCOOPERATION AND EDUCATION TRUST (LECET) FUND FOR SPONSORING THIS 97TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF ON THE LEVELNEWSLETTER.

Walbridge AldingerCompany’s Steve Morse atMCA General MembershipMeeting

MASTER MASONRYCALENDAR

September 21, 2005:MCA Sport’s Night “BOCCE NIGHT”at Club Venetian, Madison Heights,Michigan.

October 13, 2005:MCA Contractors’ Meeting at St.John’s Conference Center, Plymouth,Michigan.

November 10, 2005:MCA General Membership Meetingat Club Venetian, Madison Heights,Michigan.

December 1, 2005:Masonry Institute of Michigan’sAnnual Meeting, The Olive Room,Greektown Casino, Detroit,Michigan.

December 9, 2005:MCA Holiday Ball, at the RadissonKingsley Hotel, Bloomfield Hills,Michigan.

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Walbridge Aldinger Company’s Steve Morsegave a comprehensive presentation on MUST’snew Safety Program at the Mason Contractors’Association’s April 5, 2005 General Member-ship Meeting at Laurel Manor in Livonia.

Steve Morse (at left) and MCA Past President andDirector Chuck Costella, Monte Costella’s Com-pany (at right).

MCA’s Safety CommitteeSponsors ScaffoldingPrograms

The Mason Contractors’ Association has anactive Safety Committee chaired by Ned Niemi,Davenport Masonry. From time-to-time theCommittee partners with Safway Services, Inc.’sGreg Allen to offer Scaffolding Safety Coursesprovided by Safway University.

Pictured above is a recent week-long scaffoldingprogram that was offered at the Laborers’Wayne, Michigan Training Facility.

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Piston’s George Blaha atMCA Sports’ Night

The “Voice of the Detroit Pistons” announcerGeorge Blaha, center, was the featured speakerat MCA’s Sports Night on September 15, 2004.Also pictured at left is MCA Office ManagerCarol Burkhart and Gibraltar National/Spec-MixCorporation’s Jimmy D’Giovanni.

SUPPORTYOURMCA!

Laborers’ Union Developing a NewState-Wide ApprenticeshipProgram

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The State of Michi-gan Laborers’ DistrictCouncil and its Michi-gan Laborers’ Trainingand ApprenticeshipInstitute is developing

a new and comprehensive apprenticeship pro-gram for the entire state of Michigan. The pro-gram’s “Standards of Apprenticeship” for thetrade of Construction Craft Laborer were devel-oped in cooperation with the Bureau of Appren-ticeship and Training, U.S. Department of Labor.Scott H. McDonald is the program’s Apprentice-ship Coordinator. Mr. McDonald was the fea-tured speaker at a recent Mason Contractors’Association Contractors Meeting, where hebriefed our association’s contractor memberson the new program and passed out copies ofthe new program’s documentation. Through theyears, the job tasks performed by ConstructionCraft Laborers have increased to the level thatmandatory training is necessary to insure thatemployers get safe, productive and efficientemployees when they hire Laborers. Further-more, many job tasks performed by Construc-tion Craft Laborers that have traditionally beenconsidered simple and requiring little skill havebecome more technical. When it comes tomasonry, the role of Mason Tender has alwaysbeen a critically important skill for mason con-

tractors. So much so, that theMason Contractors’ Associationhas a Mason Tenders Agreementwith the Laborers’ InternationalUnion of North America AFL-CIO,Michigan Laborers’ District Coun-cil Local Union 334 and LocalUnion 1076. The current MasonTender’s Agreement runs untilJune 30, 2006. Participants in theConstruction Craft Laborerapprenticeship program arerequired to attend 400 hours ofclassroom training in addition to4000 hours of on-the-job training.Classroom training takes place atthe Michigan Laborers’ Trainingand Apprenticeship Institute.There are three state-of-the-artMLTAI facilities that trainees may choose toattend. An initial 16-hour class is mandatory forall apprentices, and is the only training thatrequires the apprentice to miss work. However,apprentices must find the time to attend 100hours of classroom training for every 1000hours of on-the-job training. In the event theapprentice does not have enough down time toattend the training, the employer may be askedto allow them the time off. Apprentices that donot complete 100 hours of training during each

1000 hours of work will not advance to the nextstage of the program. Employers shouldstrongly encourage apprentices to sign up forclasses during periods of lay-off. MCA is proudto be associated with this new apprenticeshipprogram that will bring deserved professional-ism and recognition for our Mason Tenders. Inclosing, I would like to congratulate Laborers’Local 334 and 1076 Officers on winning re-election to their union leadership positions.

James K. Hale

A Message From

James K. HaleMason Tenders Industry Steward, Laborers’ Locals 334 and 1076

Michigan Laborers’ Training and Apprenticeship Institute Direc-tor Scott McDonald (left) and James K. Hale, Mason TendersIndustry Steward, Locals 334 and 1076 (right).

A Message From

Ray Chapman

The summer of2005 has not startedas well as I wish itwould have, but ismuch better thanthis time last year.The weather haschanged for thegood, and hopefullythe economy will becooperating as well.

The apprentice school is in full operation andall eligible apprentices are working at this time.

Two years ago we became involved with anapprentice exchange program with Ireland. Lastyear, Local 1 sent apprentice Brett Giesak (whowas working with Liedal & Hart Mason Contrac-

tors at the time). We are extremely proud ofBrett. He has been an outstanding candidate andspokesperson for Local 1 and our contractors.

This year apprentice Nate Nestor from Dav-enport Masonry will be working in Dublin, Ire-land, from May 30th to July 16th. In return,Irish apprentice Brian Walsh will be workingwith Liedal & Hart on Whitmore Lake HighSchool from May 1, 2005 to July 20, 2005. Wewish the best to both candidates. We are hopingthis program will be an ongoing event. It is anexcellent learning opportunity for both appren-tices as well as the two different training pro-grams and contractors.

IMI has completed the Eastern MichiganUniversity graduate program in HistoricPreservation.

In only its second year for the GHP 636 fieldschool class. The purpose of this course is tointroduce a variety of preservation and conser-vation techniques. Classes were held at BayView, which is considered by many to be thebest remaining 19th century resort communityin Michigan.

The sessions were engaging and veryinformative. The program has served to raisethe students’ awareness and appreciation forUnion contractors and Craftworkers as well asviewing restoration as an extremely rewardingmasonry experience. Comments from studentsand instructors were well received.

President and Business Manager of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union, Local #1 of Michigan as well as JATC Chairperson

Ray Chapman

Bricklayers Local #1 MCA Update

Navetta Mason ContractorsMoves to New Offices inBrighton, Michigan

MCA’s 2005 PersonnelLuncheon Highlight

MCA’s 2005 Contractor Personnel Luncheonto keep our members’ office personnel up todate on MCA was held at Merriweathers Restau-rant in Southfield, Michigan recently. Theannual event is organized by MCA’s Office Man-ager Carol Burkhart.

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In the photograph above, seated from left to right, are Secretary and Director John Robovitsky, Robovitsky Inc.; President and Director Brad Leidal, Leidal &Hart Mason Contractors; Vice-President and Director Steve Dudek, Navetta Mason Contractors; and Treasurer and Director Kevin Ryan, Masonry DevelopersInc. Standing from left to right, is Director Dan Tollis, Baro Contracting Inc.; Director Chuck Costella, Monte Costella & Company; Director Ed Davenport,Davenport Masonry; and Director Tony Giannola, Giannola Masonry. Not pictured is Tom Nowak, RC Nowak & Company.

Mason Contractors’ Association, Inc. Begins 97th Year of Service; 2005 Officers & Directors Announced

The Mason Contractors’ Association (MCA), established in 1908, begins its 97th year of service to the masonry contracting industry in southeasternMichigan in 2005.

Pictured above is Navetta Mason Contractorsnew office building at 12264 Emerson Drive,Brighton, Michigan. The company’s telephonenumber is (248) 486-6258 and their fax number is(248) 486-9165.

A sharp brick sculpture of the company’s latefounder Michael Navetta greets visitors to thenew office building.

Pictured above are Jaya Wilson and Kathy Shep-ard from Monte Costella & Company and otherladies from MCA contractor member companies.

MCA Members Support“Toys For Tots”

A sharply uniformed contingent of U.S.Marines were present at MCA’s 2004 HolidayBall to receive new Christmas presents fromMCA members for the Marine’s annual “ToysFor Tots” gift program for deserving youngsters.

MCA Holiday Ball Roaring1920s Snapshot

Really getting into the spirit of MCA’s 2004 Holi-day Ball: Pictured (left to right) are attendeesSusan Costella, Minnie Johnson, Mary Kittle andJaya Wilson.

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By Brad Leidal

Since 1908, the Mason Contractors’Association has built a reputable andvalue-driven organization dedicated to thebusiness needs of our area’s masonryindustry one member company at atime. Each and every company thatbelongs to this Association is extremelyimportant to MCA’s mission. When anindividual member company has anindustry problem, that problem generallyis also being encountered by other mem-ber companies. That is why MCA is quickand deliberative when it comes toaddressing those problems that arebrought to its attention by our membercompanies, Right now, the masonry con-tracting industry in Southeastern Michiganis plagued by many problems, a greatnumber of them pegged to the depressedconstruction marketplace.

It is very easy to fall back and com-plain about the current sorry state ofthings. However, no progress is made thatway. Of necessity we have to look at theseproblems as opportunities to changethings for the better. Things will getbetter! In the meantime, we hope that allMason Contractors’ Association memberswill utilize the many services offered bythe Association. A simple, first step is tomake sure that the MCA logo is proudlydisplayed in your office reception area.Also, use every chance you can get in thefield or at construction industry events to“talk up” the value of MCA’s service. Youmay also refer your business associates,and those that are interested in MCA, tothe Association’s website: www.mcamichigan.org.

In justthree moreyears, theMason Con-tractors’ Asso-ciation will be100 years old.We are work-ing to makethe Associationeven strongerwith that centennial goal in mind.

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The President’s Message:

MCA Executive Director’s Message

Joe NeussendorferMCA Executive Director

By Joe Neussendorfer

When talking to people about joiningthe MCA I’m asked, why should I join?What do I get out of belonging to an asso-ciation? I’ve also found that some mem-bers don’t realize the benefits their mem-bership offers. I’m reminded of anadvertising slogan, “Membership has itsadvantages.” MCA membership offersmore than a golf outing, holiday ball anda few meetings a year. While those eventsprovide an excellent opportunity for frat-ernization and networking, that is only asmall part of what your association does.The MCA is aggressively pursuing anagenda of keeping its members informed,educated and represented in the issuesthat affect our industry. Committees cover-ing areas such as safety and educationhave been providing the membership withclasses on scaffold training and MUSTsafety modules. The MCA represents itscontractor members on three fringe bene-fit funds, sits on the bricklayer and masontender apprenticeship committees and isa recognized bargaining arm with fourdifferent labor unions. Regular dialogmeetings with Locals 1, 9, 334 and1076

keeps the lines of communication openbetween labor and management. The MCAoffice itself is a resource for members toutilize. With over 25 years experience inconstruction associations, MCA ExecutiveDirector Joe Neussendorfer can providedirection to member’s questions regard-ing business issues or problems.

Speakers at the general membershipand contractor meetings have providedinformation on a variety of topics rangingfrom Lien Laws, the MUST program,insurance and surety bonding. Unfortu-nately time constraints usually only allowthe speakers to cover an overview of theirtopics. Beginning this summer the MCAwill begin offering seminars so memberscan get more in depth information on top-ics pertinent to our industry. The classesin development are on contract law,change orders, scheduling and profitabil-ity. These opportunities are being offeredfor the benefit of all of our members, con-tractors and affiliates. As most of us haveseen firsthand, the Masonry Institute ofMichigan does a tremendous job provid-

ing this type ofeducation inthe technicalareas of themasonry craft.It is the objec-tive of the MCAto providemanagement education programs at thesame standard of excellence set by MIM.

Another area the MCA is pursuing is inthe legislative arena. The MCA has part-nered with the American SubcontractorsAssociation to push for passage of theprompt pay act. MCA is working withMIOSHA as a member of the MasonryIndustry Safety Alliance. While as a non-profit organization the MCA cannot sup-port or endorse candidates for election,we will stay informed on issues and thepositions candidates take in regards toour industry so our membership canmake educated decisions at election time.

While the MCA has a long history,going back to 1908, of being a voice for

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Brad LeidalMCA President

MCA Built Its Reputation One Member at a Time

On the LevelIf you have a press release or news item for our newsletter, please send

it to Editor Joe Neussendorfer, c/o MCA, 12870 Farmington Rd., Suite B,Livonia, Michigan 48150. Fax: (734) 522-7350, e-mail: jneussmca@ameritech.net.

Great Construction Dictionary SiteIf you are having a problem defining a construction term or word, you

might want to check out this web site: www.rsmeans.com/dictionary.

This is a great information site for MCA Member Company office staffsand secretaries to use.

Great Masonry Resource WebsiteDon’t forget to visit the new national masonry industry website at

www.masonrysystems.org. It has a wealth of information about our indus-try and many useful and informative computer links.

business issues in the Michigan construction industry, we cannot lookback. As an association, and as an industry, we need to look forward as weare presented with new challenges and opportunities. As we have seen toomany times, unlike mechanical and electrical trades, masonry does notneed to be in a building. Metal studs, EIFS, tilt-up concrete, brick embed-ded pre-cast, have chipped away at our market share. Labor, managementand suppliers have a mutually dependent relationship. It will take a unitedeffort by all of us, including associations and institutes, to keep masonrybeing designed and units being put in the wall. Going back to the questionof what do you get out of belonging to an association? The answer is astronger, smarter masonry industry.

MASON CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION12870 Farmington RoadSuite BLivonia,MI 48150-1603

Address Service Requested

Voice 734.522.7350Fax 734.522.7435www.mcamichigan.org

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The President’s Message: