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Message from the Director

Welcome to our website. The Northern California Electrical Construction Industry (NCECI), a labor-management cooperative trust, was established in 1998 to assist the state, federal, and local governments with the enforcement of public works, prevailing wage, and Davis-Bacon laws.

In an effort to maintain a “level playing field” for the electrical construction industry NCECI aggressively works to combat the unfair and damaging contracting practices, and we ensure better and more productive standards for wage rates on public construction projects.

NCECI provides valuable assistance to workers, contractors, public agencies, developers, taxpayers, and the general public to promote compliance of public contracts, public works laws, Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage laws. NCECI has established itself as an innovative and progressive leader of compliance enforcement within the electrical construction industry; from bid protest to criminal prosecution, government relations to legislative action and awareness, the NCECI team provides top-quality enforcement for the entire electrical construction industry.

Andre Gardner

What's New at NCECI

Electrical Contractor stopped from bidding public works projects for the next 2 years and 2 months - Statewide.

Local electrical business in Vacaville settles lawsuit By Reporter Staff -- A local, family-owned electrical business and its owner recently entered into a settlement with a Northern California labor-management committee stemming from allegations that the electrical company failed to pay prevailing wages on public works projects and other violations. Read More...

Courts Ruled that Electrical Contractor's (C-10) Must Hire State Certified Electrician's for all electrical work.

California

Court Declines to Void Published Bay Bridge Electrician Staffing Decision

SAN FRANCISCO--The California Supreme Court refused Sept. 15 to depublish a ruling allowing a lawsuit over use of uncertified electricians on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge construction project to proceed to court rather than administratively (Alameda County Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee v. Roadway Electrical Works Inc., Cal., No. S185376, depublication request denied 9/15/10).

The state high court without comment at its weekly meeting rejected requests by the California Department of Industrial Relations and the Laborers union to strip the decision of its precedent-setting value (56 CLR 883, 9/16/10).

The case involves Class C-10 contractors, those who place, install, erect, or connect any electrical wires, fixtures, appliances, apparatus, raceways, conduits, solar photovoltaic cells, or any part thereof, which generate, transmit, transform, or utilize electrical energy in any form or for any purpose.

The California Court of Appeal, First District, in June cleared the way for trial on plaintiff allegations that using uncertified workers allowed Roadway Electrical Works Inc. and MCM Construction Inc. to unfairly submit a low bid and secure work on the $5.5 billion seismic retrofit of the bridge spanning San Francisco Bay (56 CLR 626, 7/15/10).

The lawsuit, filed by the Alameda County Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 595 Health and Welfare Trust; IBEW Local 595 Northern California Chapter; National Electrical Contractors Association Labor Management Cooperation Committee (NCECI); and Edward W. Scott Electric Co., returns to California Superior Court, Alameda County.

The decision “means now we are going to go after other C-10 contractors to start complying with the law and use only certified electricians,” plaintiffs' attorney Ellyn Moscowitz said Sept. 20.

The DIR is “considering our options on what the next steps could be,” spokesman Dean Fryer said Sept. 20.

By Joyce E. Cutler

Download:

Roadway Electric Court Decision.pdf

NCECI provides crucial evidence to the State and the Alameda County District Attorney to get NBC General Contractors, owner Jailed.

Article: Workers accuse public works contractor of shorting pay

OAKLAND -- A general contractor hired by cities around the Bay Area to build things from schools to city halls is being sued by its workers, who claim the company didn't follow the state's prevailing wage law and forced them to sign false timecards.

In a lawsuit filed July 17 in Alameda County Superior Court, NBC General Contractors Corp. is accused of ignoring state labor laws by paying its workers minimum wage rather than a predetermined rate required for public works projects.

In addition, NBC General Contractors is accused of failing to pay its workers overtime, forcing them to sign fake timecards in order to receive paychecks and refusing to provide wage statements when requested by ...

D.A.s Arrest at Oakland-based

NBC General Contractors, Owner Jailed

Alameda County District Attorneys office arrested Monica Ung, owner of NBC General Contractors, along with NBC employees Joey Ruan and Tin Wai Wu (Winnie Wu) on 48 felonycounts that included public works wage fraud, grand theft of personal property, forgery and insurance fraud. The construction firms illegal activities resulted in an estimated $3.6 million dollars in unpaid wages to 19 construction workers. Losses due to illegally misclassifying workers cost the state an estimated $1,451,735.85.

See Articles:

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-17078047.html

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/08/were_sf_public_works_jobs_part.php

http://www.ibew595.org/docs/NBC.pdf

http://ibew.org/articles/09ElectricalWorker/EW1009/03.1009.html

State bars Santa Rosa electrical contractor from public projects for three years

SANTA ROSA State labor regulators are barring Santa Rosa-based S.J. Cimino Electric Inc. from public works projects for three years on allegations that the electrical contractor didnt fully pay wages and benefits related to three affordable-housing projects in Sonoma and Solano counties. This is said to be the first such action against a Sonoma County contractor in more than a decade.

The decision makes S.J. Cimino ineligible to bid nor work as a subcontractor on public projects, according to state documents. Division of Labor Standards Enforcement Chief Angela Bradstreet signed the debarment on Sept. 2 after an Aug. 4 hearing, according to the documents. The debarment becomes effective Oct. 15.

This case is unique in a lot of ways, according to Pat Wirsing, senior compliance officer for the Northern California Electrical Construction Industry. The group was part of a North Bay Labor Council press conference at the State Building in Santa Rosa this morning to announce the debarment.

See Article:

http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/15831/state-bars-santa-rosa-electrical-contractor-from-public-projects-for-three-years/

State of California Debarred Sonoma County Electrical Contractor

S.J. Cimino Electric was ordered to pay $287,183 in back wages and penalties related to subcontracting work on three affordable housing projects in Sonoma and Solano counties.

"Those who bid for public projects had better obey the law and pay prevailing wages," said Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet. "It's very important for workers to be paid for the work they do under the laws of the state."

See article:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091018/BUSINESS/910181023/1350?Title=State-watching-wages-of-public-works-projects


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