WDMA Green Update

Register Now for 14th Annual WDMA Technical Conference, June 26-28

23 Apr 2012 15:35:03 CDT

We are excited to announce that the WDMA 14th Annual Technical Conference will be held in Bloomington, Minn., at the Hotel Sofitel Minneapolis, from Tuesday, June 26 to Thursday, June 28. This two-and-half-day event features several sessions reporting on current industry research, trends in manufacturing processes, procedures, and emerging product technologies. Effective breakout sessions will focus on topics relevant to our membership and industry. We will be kicking off the conference on Tuesday, June 26, with keynote speaker Joe Lstibrueck, Ph.D., P.Eng., Building Science Corporation, and closing with the Department of Energy Road Map Session on Thursday, June 28.

Returning this year are two off-site tours of the state of the art manufacturing facilities at Cardinal Glass Industries and SAGE Electrochromics. There is limited space for the tour at SAGE, so make sure to register online today to reserve your spot!

Make sure to join us for a spectacular opening event and see the Minnesota Twins face off against their division rival the Chicago White Sox — at no additional cost to you! That's right this event is free for all conference attendees. All you have to do is make sure to indicate that you want to attend the game when you register online. Tickets also include a $25 complimentary voucher to be used at any concession stand in the park. ESPN ranked Target Field as the No. 1 stadium experience in North America. Again, space is limited so don't wait, register today!

We hope you will join us for this exciting event! For a complete listing of the schedule of events, program highlights, and to register click here.

For questions contact Jonathan M. Paine at 202.367.2496 or email jpaine@wdma.com.

CARB to hold Workshop and Webcast on Composite Wood Products Regulations

23 Apr 2012 15:35:03 CDT

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is discussing possible amendments to their composite wood products regulation. Under the current regulation, fabricators are required to be third party certified only if they make a composite wood product. Due to some allegedly high emitting laminated products that CARB has tested, they are considering regulating laminated products in which a fabricator buys a certified platform (e.g., particleboard or MDF) and affixes a synthetic laminate or wood veneer to make a table top or cabinet door, but they are not currently thinking of requiring certification for those operations. There is a CARB Workshop on this topic, scheduled for May 10 at Cal/EPA Headquarters. The workshop will also be accessible via a webcast, if you cannot attend in person. Advance sign up is not required for the webcast; you may access the workshop by clicking on the link provided at any time during the workshop.

If you would like further details on this subject, or information about attending the workshop in person or participating in the webcast, go to www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/compwood/compwood.htm.

USBGC Announces Fourth Public Comment Period for LEED 2012 Revisions, May 1-15

23 Apr 2012 15:35:03 CDT

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will be conducting a fourth public review of the latest changes to the proposed revisions for the 2012 editions of LEED's rating systems from May 1 through May 15. This fourth public review comment period is being conducted because of the changes made to the drafts based on comments submitted during the recent third public review held in March.

Many on the third public review comments, including those submitted by WDMA were highly critical of a number of proposed credit provisions impacting building materials. WDMA and others felt that on the whole, they unduly limit building materials that can qualify and would work against LEED's objectives of promoting the use of environmentally sound products and procurement practices. WDMA and others also felt several of the provisions would improperly imply that the use of many common and necessary building materials is detrimental to the environment or poses health hazards leading to concerns over the use them when none is warranted. Whether those comments will be reflected in the fourth draft is still uncertain as the revised draft has not yet been released.

USGBC is expected to post the revised draft May 1 initiating the public comment period.

This is expected to be the last public review after which USGBC will finalize and ballot the drafts among its members from June 1 through June 30. USGBC is expected to launch the LEED 2012 suite in November at the USGBC Annual Greenbuild Conference and Expo. Details on the process, including how to submit comments can be found by clicking here.

WDMA members with questions may contact Jeff Inks at jinks@wdma.com.

Senate to Vote on NLRB's Ambush Election Rule

23 Apr 2012 15:35:03 CDT

A Senate vote could occur as soon as this Tuesday, April 24, regarding the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) implementation of the "ambush elections" rule. If enacted, the rule would limit what evidence can be presented at pre-election union representation hearings, stripping business owners of their legal right to a fair elections process. It would also eliminate the current 25-day "grace period," compressing the period for elections to occur to approximately 20 days.

Employers and business groups have opposed the rule, as it does not give them enough time to counter a union drive and consult with counsel. Moreover, employees could be denied the opportunity to hear from their employer on the issue preventing them from making a fully informed decision about whether they want to join a union. This highly politicized decision by NLRB unfairly favors the rights of unions over the rights of employers.

Given the negative impact implementation of the ambush elections rule could have on businesses, the Senate plans to vote on a resolution (S.J.RES 36) disapproving of the NLRB's ambush elections rule. The resolution is meant to send a strong message to the NLRB and rein in the agency, whose actions have threatened the ability of business owners to create and retain jobs.

Federal Court Blocks NLRB Union Poster Rule

23 Apr 2012 15:35:03 CDT

On April 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C.) Circuit issued an emergency injunction delaying the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union poster rule. The rule would have required private employers to post an 11-by-17-inch notice regarding employee rights to unionize under the National Labor Relations Act. It was set to take effect on April 30.

The decision by the D.C. Circuit follows the decision issued last week by the U.S. District Court for South Carolina, stating that the NLRB does not have the statutory authority to require business owners to post this notice. In a March ruling at odds with the decision in South Carolina, the District Court for D.C. found the NLRB rule acceptable, but limited how the agency could enforce it.

The National Association of Manufacturers, the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation, and other business groups have appealed the rule, stating the NLRB overstepped its legal authority when issuing the requirement. The rule will remain suspended until the appeal is decided. If enacted the rule would affect more than 6 million employers who otherwise would not be subject to the NLRB regulation.

House Passes Small Business Tax Cut

23 Apr 2012 15:35:03 CDT

On April 19, the House of Representatives passed the Small Business Tax Cut Act (H.R. 9) that would provide a one-year, 20-percent tax cut for businesses with fewer than 500 employees. The legislation passed 235-173 with one member voting present. Supporters of the tax break say it would encourage businesses to reinvest and hire new workers by allowing them to keep more of their profits.
Opponents of H.R. 9 have criticized it for providing tax breaks whether companies hire additional employees or not. The bill is unlikely to advance in the Senate, where Democrats control the chamber and generally oppose the legislation. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation if passed by Congress.

1988 Tape of President Ford Addressing WDMA Donated to Presidential Museum

23 Apr 2012 15:35:03 CDT

While preparing for the move of WDMA's Chicago office later this year, WDMA Staff Jeff Lowinski and John McFee discovered a VHS tape of former President Gerald R. Ford speaking at the 1988 Annual Meeting of the National Wood Window and Door Association (WDMA's former name.) The hour long tape includes President Ford speaking on the economy, foreign affairs and the downturned economy — in a speech that but for the date, is eerily similar to today's hot topics. "We've converted this VHS tape and several others to digital format, so that we can appropriately archive this important WDMA historic piece," said Jeff, who was also present during that presentation. The tape itself is being donated to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ironically, WDMA held a reception at that museum last year during our June Technical Conference. "I wish we had been aware of the tape last year. It would have been great to have presented the tape to the museum in person as part of our reception program!" said John.