Dear Members,

        I would like to update you to what has been happening over the last couple of months within L.U.490.

    #1. Gaming: We fought extremely hard on the attempt to bring expanded gaming to the State of NH. Had our efforts been successful we would have been constructing the $450 million expansion of Rockingham Park. Unfortunately our state legislators didn’t think gaming should be part of our budget process at this time. Although we were unsuccessful this year, the issue of expanded gaming received more serious attention and debate than ever before. I have been in contact with Millennium Gaming and they have assured me that they will continue their quest for expanded gaming. With our State budget woes still not fixed and the Governors creation of a committee to study gaming, we will have to continue to fight for gaming to pass and be a part of the major construction that comes with it!

     #2  Bow Scrubber: Public Service of NH’s construction of a $457 million scrubber project at Merrimack station in Bow is well underway. Although we were faced with much opposition to this project from both Environmental Groups who saw an opportunity to completely shut down a coal burning plant and Business Groups who sought an opportunity to slow their competition, but with much help from the membership we were able to convince the legislature that the building of this scrubber was a win-win for people of NH. Thanks to all of you who assisted in this political battle.  I have recently met with Sterling Boiler who is responsible for the major piece of the project, they arrived on site 8/1/09, the electrical sub-contractor has yet to be awarded. We should be putting electricians on the project in October, the complete job should max out at approximately 70 electricians and increase and decrease as needed throughout the next 2 years with completion scheduled for November of 2011.

     #3 Job Corps Center Manchester: The construction of the Federal Job corps Center in Manchester NH is still in the planning stage with completed drawings due out in this month. This $40 million dollar project will have federal project labor agreement language attached to it. This means that the successful bidder must hire through the local building trades hiring halls and adhere to our collective bargaining agreements. This will be the very first Federal PLA awarded since President Obama reinstated President Bush’s ban on PLA’s back in early 2001.Working with Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter, Congressman Paul Hodes and Senator Shaheen acquired this Federal PLA to insure that the construction workers on this project will receive fair wages and benefits. This has proven to us that they are willing to go to bat for the working men and woman that they represent and we will continue to work with them to receive more PLA’s in the future!

     #4  Davis Bacon Projects: The Labor department is currently conducting Davis Bacon survey in the State of West Virginia, once they are completed there I have been assured that they're going to update the DB rates here in NH with the survey consisting of the construction rates earned in 2009. We are currently working with our contractors to make sure every job performed in 2009 is reported in an effort to raise the DB rates in every county State wide.