About MCA History

The Mechanical Contractors Association of Las Vegas (MCA) is one of the oldest construction trade associations in the state of Nevada. Our organization was officially incorporated on July 26, 1961, under its original name, Associated Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors of Nevada.

However, further investigation reveals even deeper roots based on meeting documents dating back to July 1, 1955. These documents confirm that our founders banded together and operated informally under the name Master Plumbers Association of Clark County (MPACC), the predecessor to today’s MCA of Las Vegas. When Local Union 525 was formed in 1938, it’s presumed the MPACC emerged to collectively bargain the Master Labor Agreement on behalf of the contractors.

Our birthright is owed to a baker’s dozen of mechanical contractors with a forte in trailblazing and problem-solving. These contractors collectively valued the betterment of industry as priority number one.

Our association’s legacy is owed to the following individuals and their companies:

• Harmon DeLoy Abbott, Abbott’s Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
• Robert J. Taylor, Ace Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc.
• Thomas R. Barnett, Barnett Plumbing & Heating Co.
• Lester E. Cannon, Cannon Plumbing & Heating
• Eugene J. Gorlick, Foreman Plumbing of Nevada
• Guy Foster, Hansen Plumbing & Heating of Nevada, Inc.
• Daniel S. Larkin, Larkin Plumbing & Heating Co. (and Larkin Service, Inc.)
• Miles R. Nay, Miles R. Nay Contractors
• William (Bob) G. Miller, Miller Plumbing, Inc.
• Hyman (Hy) Yanke, Southern Nevada Plumbing & Heating Corp.
• Joseph P. Davis, United Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
• Frank Hazzard, Western Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
• Frank E. Hess, E. Willardson, Inc.

 

In 1961, the association’s humble beginnings were led by executive manager William H. Nichols. The Journeyman MLA wage package that year was approximately $4.50 per hour and the population of Clark County was 132,970.

The association became an affiliated chapter to the National Association of Plumbing Contractors (now known as the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors National Association) on November 1, 1961. One year later, the association officially operated from a brick and mortar office located at 1521 Western Avenue.

In 1971, the association made headlines as the cover story in the 1971 Fall Issue of OFFICIAL, IAPMO’s national magazine, where it’s credited for its herculean effort in rallying the troops to codify the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) into Nevada Revised Statutes. These efforts were spearheaded by association President Charles Englert of Universal Plumbing & Heating Company, with Assembly Bill 385 as the vehicle. AB 385 was signed into law by then Nevada Governor Michael O’Callaghan on May 4, 1971.

Plumbing unions, contractors and officials cooperated completely in backing the measure. Even more unusual, the bill sailed through both houses of the legislature without a single dissenting vote.

Other key figures who played a key role in the UPC’s legacy included Las Vegas-based Assemblyman Keith Ashworth, Henderson-based Assemblyman Hal Smith and State Senator Jim Gibson. The association’s Executive Director I. Parke Syers also played an integral part by keeping a steady grip on the steering wheel.

The Journeyman MLA wage package in 1971 was $11.26 and hour and the population of Clark County was 295,000.

The early 1980s proved a tumultuous time for labor and management. Strife came on the heels of a failed attempt to negotiate a separate residential agreement between the association and the local in 1979. A strike broke out the day after the contract expired on June 30, 1980, and lasted for nine months.

In February 1981, negotiations surrounding the expired contract came to a screeching halt. Not only was an impasse declared by the association, but the employer’s formal bargaining unit was officially dissolved. This announcement came in a February 5 letter penned by the association’s Executive Director Richard Vandenberg, Jr. to Business Manager Jack McGinty. Vandenberg noted that 20 employers had signed interim contracts while an estimated 20 employers within the multi-employer bargaining group were believed to be operating without a contract. This letter served to get the attention of the United Association (UA) and the local.

After several meetings with the employers and members of the local, the employers came to an agreement with the UA in a meeting held in Washington D.C. on March 26, 1981. A new contract was ratified on April 2, 1981, which included a significant cut to the wage package. Additionally, on March 1, 1983 the Local Union 604 was chartered by the UA and operated disharmoniously with Local Union 525 until January 1, 1985. The association served as the multi-employer bargaining group with both locals during this period of time.

Despite the Master Labor Agreement’s (MLA) lower wage package, the inability to negotiate a separate residential agreement in 1979 resulted in a permanent forfeiture of the new construction residential market, never again to be considered covered work for the signatory employers and the union members.

Fourteen signatory contractors were lost forever during this time of discord, prompting a no-strike clause to be added to the MLA. Fortunately, the last 30 years have proved a more cooperative effort between management and labor.

In 1981, the Journeyman MLA wage package was $22.73 an hour and the population of Clark County was 482,883.

In 1993, under the leadership of Vandenberg the association changed its formal name from Associated Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors of Nevada to Mechanical Contractors Association, Inc. The Journeyman MLA wage package in 1993 was $29.57 an hour and the population of Clark County was 898,020.

At the end of the 1990s, a handful of associations — including the MCA — informally banded together to benefit the entire subcontracting industry as a whole. This group later became known as the Subcontractors’ Legislative Coalition (SLC), and was officially incorporated on February 28, 2008, as the government affairs arm of the MCA, four other construction-related associations and a handful of individual members. The SLC operated out of the MCA’s offices from incorporation to the time it was dissolved in 2015.

On December 3, 2001, Executive Director Richard W. Lisle established the Holly and Ben Barton Memorial Endowment Fund at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The association has since gifted more than $50,000 to the fund. The scholarship was a gesture for Jim Barton, the owner of Big Town Mechanical, and a tribute to the lives of his wife and son who were tragically lost in a car accident. The College of Fine Arts was the chosen recipient since Barton’s wife was a teacher with a lifelong love affair with the fine arts. The Journeyman MLA wage package was $40.87 and the population of Clark County was 1,498,279.

In April 2004, the association purchased its first piece of real estate at 2640 S. Jones Boulevard, Suites 1 and 4. Due to responsible finances, the new office was purchased outright. The Journeyman MLA wage package was $45.37 and the population of Clark County was 1,747,025.

On March 5, 2008, the association became an affiliate chapter to the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). The MCAA was founded in 1889. The Journeyman MLA wage package in 2008 was $53.61 and the population of Clark County was 1,986,146.

In April 2012, Mandi (Lindsay) Wilkins took the helm as the Executive Vice President of the MCA and continues to advance the association forward today.

In an effort to better capitalize on a world-renowned brand, the association underwent another facelift in 2013 and became the Mechanical Contractors Association of Las Vegas. A new name also ushered in a new logo that depicts the Las Vegas skyline — a skyline built by MCA contractors.

In 2019, the MCA united with labor unions belonging to the Southern Nevada Building trades and their management counterparts. to reverse Assembly Bill 172 (AB172). AB172 related to public works projects and the manner in which the prevailing wage was determined. Assembly Bill 136 (AB136) reversed it in its entirety thus, returning state statute back to what it was prior to AB172. AB136 went into effect July 1, 2019.

The MCA’s history is rich and colorful. By Nevada standards, the association can easily be classified as one of the state’s treasured pioneers. Honor the past. Protect the present. Build the future. MCA.