I think it's very interesting that the state government can force employers to use the Federal system to verify if its employees are legal; but police departments, which are government agencies, aren't capable of doing the same thing.
In a story in the Denver Post today http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_10779098 the Aurora police claim they didn't know a man who killed three people was an illegal immigrant because he only had a slight accent and appeared to be "completely Americanized." If an employer used that standard to determine who was or was not legal, the ACLU would be all over them.
While employers face penalties if they don't check the status of their employees, the police are saying there is "no magic wand" to determine whether someone is in the U.S. illegally.
Seems like there ought to be one standard for all - either everyone has to check, or no one has to check.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Growth is caused by what????
There's an activist in Jefferson County, Daniel Hayes, who has some interesting ideas about immigration. According to a story in today's Rocky Mountain News, Hayes believes that growth is caused by illegal immigrants building houses. I wonder if he's ever bothered to look at the statistics on residential construction companies in Colorado. Pulte Homes or Richmond American Homes may find it very interesting to learn that this man believes their companies are illegal immigrants. Of the 53 masonry subcontractor companies that are members of the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute, only one is owned by an immigrant - and he's a legal immigrant from England.
More to the point, Hayes needs to look at the factors that go into growth, and examine thoroughly whether or not it should really be stopped. He might look at the current mortgage- credit-bailout situation. Stopping growth stops the economy - that's called a recession, if not a depression.
More to the point, Hayes needs to look at the factors that go into growth, and examine thoroughly whether or not it should really be stopped. He might look at the current mortgage- credit-bailout situation. Stopping growth stops the economy - that's called a recession, if not a depression.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Lifetime Masonry Achievement
The Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute honored Dan Berich, founder of Berich Masonry Inc, with a Lifetime Achievement Award Oct. 3 during the McGraw-Hill Gold Hardhat Awards.
Berich is only the second person to ever receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from RMMI.
Berich began his masonry career during World War II. While he was a student at Denver’s South High School in 1943, his uncle Walt Oberg taught him bricklaying. Berich stuck with the career and built small residential projects during the 1950s. In the 1960s he switched from small residential to constructing load-bearing masonry apartment buildings.
Berich formalized his business as “Dan Berich, Inc” in 1971. The firm worked with some of the state’s biggest GC’s on high profile and private projects. Berich built 30 or 40 load-bearing masonry apartment buildings in Denver and Colorado Springs, including the 1,000-unit Speer Center apartments at 10th and Speer. Berich also built some of the area’s biggest retail projects, at least 40 King Soopers stores, the Focus on the Family headquarters, the Arapahoe County Youth Detention Center, Red Rocks Community College and the Aurora Criminal Justice Center.
Berich also helped form the Colorado Masonry Contractors Association, which became the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute in 1988, and served as its president in the 1960s.
Berich is only the second person to ever receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from RMMI.
Berich began his masonry career during World War II. While he was a student at Denver’s South High School in 1943, his uncle Walt Oberg taught him bricklaying. Berich stuck with the career and built small residential projects during the 1950s. In the 1960s he switched from small residential to constructing load-bearing masonry apartment buildings.
Berich formalized his business as “Dan Berich, Inc” in 1971. The firm worked with some of the state’s biggest GC’s on high profile and private projects. Berich built 30 or 40 load-bearing masonry apartment buildings in Denver and Colorado Springs, including the 1,000-unit Speer Center apartments at 10th and Speer. Berich also built some of the area’s biggest retail projects, at least 40 King Soopers stores, the Focus on the Family headquarters, the Arapahoe County Youth Detention Center, Red Rocks Community College and the Aurora Criminal Justice Center.
Berich also helped form the Colorado Masonry Contractors Association, which became the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute in 1988, and served as its president in the 1960s.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Free Safety Training for Masons in Rocky Mtn Region
We just received a $247,863 grant from OSHA’s Susan Harwood Foundation to conduct safety training in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The local nonprofit trade association is among 36 organizations nationwide awarded Occupational Safety and Health Administration Susan Harwood Training grants.
The grant will allow RMMI to provide free safety training to employees of masonry contractors, brick and block manufacturers and masonry suppliers in the four-state service region which encompasses approximately 348,000 square miles.
In 2006, the region had a nonfatal worker injury rate 42% higher than the national average. The region had 8.4 incidents per 100 workers, as compared to the national incident rate of 5.9 per 100 workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
During a one-year period from October 2006 to September 2007, OSHA issued 8,053 citations nationally to special trade contractors primarily engaged in masonry work. Two of the most frequently cited OSHA standards were “Duty to have Fall Protection” and “Training Requirements.” During that same period, in the service region for this grant, 103 citations were issued to special trade contractors. Scaffolds, specifically fall protection, accounted for more than 60% of these citations.
The free RMMI safety training program will be presented in English and Spanish, and will be accompanied by a safety training booklet illustrated with pictograms. The training locations and dates will be released in January.
The grant will allow RMMI to provide free safety training to employees of masonry contractors, brick and block manufacturers and masonry suppliers in the four-state service region which encompasses approximately 348,000 square miles.
In 2006, the region had a nonfatal worker injury rate 42% higher than the national average. The region had 8.4 incidents per 100 workers, as compared to the national incident rate of 5.9 per 100 workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
During a one-year period from October 2006 to September 2007, OSHA issued 8,053 citations nationally to special trade contractors primarily engaged in masonry work. Two of the most frequently cited OSHA standards were “Duty to have Fall Protection” and “Training Requirements.” During that same period, in the service region for this grant, 103 citations were issued to special trade contractors. Scaffolds, specifically fall protection, accounted for more than 60% of these citations.
The free RMMI safety training program will be presented in English and Spanish, and will be accompanied by a safety training booklet illustrated with pictograms. The training locations and dates will be released in January.
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