July 2002
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Summertime !
It's finally summer and you have the entire facility to yourself. It's time to juggle staff vacations, construction projects, and annual maintenance. Don't forget your lockers! In a medium sized facility (1000 to 2000 hall lockers) you can expect to keep one man busy the entire summer to get everything done that needs to be done. The alternative is to hire an outside contractor. If the latter is your choice, use our Basic Locker Repair specifications as a guide.
Some important areas not to overlook:
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make sure that your lockers are securely anchored |
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check each door to see that it opens & closes without binding |
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lubricate latch fingers & door jambs |
And if you have the time:
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check to see that all of the nuts & bolts are tight |
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replace missing coat hooks or shelves |
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remove graffiti or stickers |
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replace defective or damaged parts |
An important thing to keep in mind; if you didn't order the necessary replacement parts back in February, you probably won't have them available for this project. There's always next year!
Prevailing Rate?
A school administrator wants to know about prevailing rate and how it applies to locker services. If you use an outside contractor to do any work at your facility, they must pay the "prevailing rate" for that work. Prevailing Rate is a federal mandate enforceable by the states. Technically, it the average wage paid for that trade, however, it may differ in your state or county. In states like New York or New Jersey, which are predominantly union states, the prevailing rates are determined by the average of trade wages in that specific area. In "Right To Work" states like Virginia or Georgia, the PR is determined by the averages of all wages including nonunion entities. Your State Department of Labor can give you the rates for your area.
Herein lies the problem. A contractor from Texas can come to a state like New York with employees making considerably less than the NY rate and if they are not detected prior to payment for the work, they go "Scott free".
The moral of the story is "beware of contractors bearing gifts".
That's all for this month. Until next month, keep your doors hinged and your nuts tight.