Membership

To download Membership Applications, see document listing at end of this page.

There are numerous direct cost benefits to joining UCAW. Some of them are highlighted below...

• Dispute Review Panel
• Free Education Seminars
• Safety Information
• Legislative Action and Awareness
• Nextel Service Aggreement
• Mock Bid
• National Representation
• Regularly Scheduled Meetings

Access to a Dispute Review Panel to assist in resolving utility damage claims against local utilities. UCAW has created a pilot program in conjunction with the UULC to provide a non-binding dispute resolution panel that will be available for contractors and utilities that want to resolve utility damage claims amicably and cost effectively. Only UCAW contractor members in good standing can gain access to this panel. This program will be on-line in April, 2006 and is unprecedented in our industry. If you excavate inside of the public Right-of-Way, no doubt, your crews have accidentally damaged marked, unmarked or mismarked underground utilities. Helping our members resolve these claims efficiently and economically is a prime concern of UCAW. We created this panel solely for contractor members to assist them in managing this part of their businesses. This feature is exclusive to UCAW contractor members only and could save you thousands of dollars on every unresolved claim you have with a local utility company.

Access to free Education Seminars. UCAW provides members with FREE EDUCATION SEMINARS at it our Tukwila Office. Some of our past seminars included: Supervisory education on Record Keeping and Documentation Controls, Safety Training, Construction Law and Updates on the Recent Critical Law Revisions, Bonding and Insurance Updates, Financial and Business Training and Modern Techniques in GPS and Earthwork Data Collection.

UCAW is a source for safety information. CAW members have access to written safety plans, policy manuals and training videos/CD’s. These documents include forming and implementing a hearing protection plan as well as many other safety documents required by most general contactors. Why reinvent these plans, when they are already done for you? Our affiliation with NUCA, (National Utility Contractors Association) and its Safety Programs have enhanced our member’s abilities to keep abreast of national trends in safety reporting and damage prevention. Claims with Utility Owners get help from NUCA and learn their way.

UCAW is your own powerful watchdog in Olympia. We are tracking bills and proposed regulations so you don’t have to. UCAW routinely suppresses proposed bills that would be harmful to our industry. You work hard each day to manage your business. UCAW keeps tabs on proposed laws and regulations in Olympia that may affect your business so you don’t have to. Our legislative staff is on the look-out for laws that would cost our industry and your firm money. Our team does its best to either kill the proposed bill, or modify it to benefit of our members. UCAW also introduces laws that benefit our industry and work in conjunction with other trade associations like AGC, ABC, AWB and others to keep our industry healthy and profitable.

Exclusive NEXTEL service agreement NEXTEL has an exclusive service agreement with UCAW to provide special discounts on monthly phone service as well as phone and accessories purchases. These discounts are on top of any special “corporate” rate plans your company currently uses. You won’t find these discounts anywhere else. NEXTEL offers a 5% discount on your monthly air-time bill, a 27% discount on your phone purchases and a 5% discount on any purchases of phone accessories. Activation fees are waived, and family members can join this plan. Depending on how many phones your firm uses, this benefit alone could save you more than your membership fees each year.

Mock Bid
UCAW has developed a procedure whereby our contractors can sit down with Public/Private Owners, Design Professionals, and our Legislative Representatives and show them what happens in their offices during a bid procedure. This two day event has met with great success and has increased in participation each year it has been held.

National Representation for your business in Washington,D.C NUCA is our representative in the other Washington. NUCA is a major player in any highway, water, sewer and storm drainage related programs brought before congress. NUCA keeps us up to date on national bills that impact our industry. Our members are encouraged to visit Washington D.C. to directly interact with our national representatives and to tell them directly how you feel about their work for your business and your family.

Regularly scheduled dinner meetings offer great networking opportunities and information exchange. We provide numerous opportunities to introduce your firm to suppliers, subcontractors, lawyers, insurance and bonding experts, as well as other contractor members to discuss recent industry issues, concerns and techniques. Exciting speakers routinely provide "gold nuggets" for your business. It’s a great way to meet experts and competitors in a relaxed environment. Our dinner speaker's provide insight in business trends, new safety methods, developing construction technologies, financial outlooks in the Utility Industry, motivational ideas for your business, new and developing projects by the Owners.