Your Number 1 Advocate

The Minnesota Electrical Association

by Tony Enger

Having an organization like MEA advocate for us and for our business goals in the electrical contracting world can make a large impact on the future of our companies. One of the goals we set when revising the association’s Strategic Plan this past winter is the need for MEA to be the one-stop shop for electrical contractors. MEA has this as a primary focus on a daily basis. Working with the Board of Electricity, MN DLI, OSHA, MN DOT, Apprenticeship; fighting for us at the capitol; and more—MEA is continuously finding new ways to help us comply. How is this accomplished?

Regulatory Agencies
Complying with laws on licensing and continuing education is easy for us because of the leg work that MEA does. They offer:
flexible classes to meet your busy schedule;
peace of mind that these classes meet Code requirements; and
submission of your credits to MN, IA, NE, ND, SD, WI, WY, if applicable.

MEA’s new website will even track when you and your employees have a license that is about to expire. Sign in to your account on MEA’s website, fill in your license expiration date so you or your admin can easily monitor this information.

OSHA
Compliance with safety regulations to help you avoid major fines and penalties through classes, manuals, webinars, etc. MEA worked with OSHA to make sure the tools are available for us to succeed.

Apprenticeship Program
Building the electrical contracting workforce is crucial right now—a time when finding skilled workers is hard to do. MEA has an appealing program for students to earn while they learn. This allows us contractors to take the knowledge that the apprentices are learning and help them apply it on the job.

Compliance
MEA offers a library of webinars to members as another resource to stay up to date and in the know. You can view these at any time on your computer. The topics range from overtime regulations, lien rights, energy code training and clean energy. MEA continuously updates this library to include more topics relevant to keeping our businesses in compliance.

Having MEA as our business advocate puts us in a better business position and limits the potential for future fines and violations. It is always helpful to have someone on your side fighting for you.