In this issue:
- Association News
Mark Your Calendar for the 2005 NBFAA Spring Conference & CSA Symposium
Golf Without Guilt for a Worthy Cause
NBFAA/CSA Symposium to Kick off Spring Conference
It's almost that time of year again. The 2005 NBFAA Spring Conference & CSA Symposium is coming to Las Vegas April 3-7 at Treasure Island and the Venetian. The Conference, held in conjunction with ISC West, is a must-attend event for every NBFAA member.
Highlights of the Spring Conference include:
- A new NBFAA/CSA Symposium, which will tackle issues that are of importance to Chartered State Associations - such as Government Affairs, the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, Member Services, and making money through training.
- 2005 AIREF/NBFAA Golf Tournament
- Evening Event, where the prestigious Morris F. Weinstock and Sara E. Jackson Awards will be presented
- Board of Directors and Committee meetings
- Industry Breakfast, featuring a keynote address by Barry McCaffrey, international affairs expert and NBC News military analyst.
Your registration for the NBFAA Spring Conference and CSA Symposium includes
FREE admission to the ISC West Expo. So don't delay, register today!
Now there's no reason to feel guilty about taking the afternoon to play golf. On April 5th - the day before the start of the 2005 ISC West Expo - AIREF and NBFAA will once again team up to present a day of "golf without guilt" at one of Las Vegas' premier country clubs - Troon's Revere Golf Club.
We've planned a day of relaxation and fun for you where your individual contribution of $250 entitles you to greens fees, cart, lunch, and transportation to and from the golf course. And - as if that weren't enough - you'll receive tickets to the NBFAA Evening Event where the prestigious Morris F. Weinstock and Sara E. Jackson Awards will be presented. This reception includes an open bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres and will be held at Las Vegas' newest nightspot, the Tangerine Lounge & Nightclub at Treasure Island.
Proceeds from the golf tournament benefit AIREF, an all-volunteer, non-profit group dedicated to conducting research for the benefit and betterment of the electronic life safety, security, and systems industry.
In addition to joining us on the course, if you are an associate member, you should consider taking advantage of one of the many levels of sponsorships still available. So far we have received sponsorship commitments from several companies including Honeywell, SIA, NAPCO, ISC Expo, ADI, Altronix, Vector Security, and System Sensor.
Take this opportunity to treat yourself, your VIP clients/prospects, or others in your company to a day of relaxation and fun in the name of a very worthy cause.
If you can't join us on the green, non-golfers may purchase tickets in advance to the Evening Event for $100.
For more information and to register, contact NBFAA at 301-585-1855 or
visit the AIREF website at www.airef.org.
NBFAA/CSA Symposium to Kick off Spring Conference
This year's NBFAA Spring Conference will begin on Sunday, April 3, at 12:30 with a new NBFAA/CSA Symposium. State leaders are excited about this new part of the conference, which will feature presentations to help Chartered State Associations learn to take advantage of NBFAA services to benefit and improve their bottom line.
Panelists at the Symposium will work with CSAs on issues such as government affairs and alarm response management. We'll also share insights into how a state association can use member benefits as a recruitment tool, add revenues through NTS training, and learn from other successful CSAs.
Panelists include our new government affairs lobbyist, John Chwat; the executive director of SIAC, Stan Martin; NBFAA Executive Director Merlin Guilbeau; Director of Business Development Tonja Jenkins; and Dale Eller, who heads up the NBFAA National Training School. One of the sessions will feature several CSA leaders who will answer questions from CSA colleagues about best practices - what's working and what's not.
We hope you will join us for this informative Symposium as well as the rest of the NBFAA Spring Conference.
We're looking forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!
Member Benefit Spotlight: wildbullet.com
In addition to the already discounted rates that NBFAA members receive on online recruiting services, NBFAA Associate Member Company wildbullet.com is offering a Buy One, Get One Free special for February.
This special allows companies to purchase any Job Posting package between now and the end of February and receive an additional package of the same type free. wildbullet.com is the largest specialty recruitment site in the United States developed exclusively for the electronic life safety, security, and systems industry.
As if that weren't enough, wildbullet.com is also offering a button special for manufacturers who want to increase their exposure. These companies can place a button ad (smaller than a banner ad) on the front page of wildbullet.com for a 35 percent discount, but only through February 28.
Eric Freedman, NBFAA Account Specialist for wildbullet.com, reports that the website's traffic has continued to grow to more than 500,000 hits a month. The site also continues to attract new candidates and candidate resumés on a daily basis.
wildbullet.com has also helped several NBFAA member companies find and attract qualified candidates through its partnership with the association.
"I am happy as a pig in mud about the response," says Sue Silva, HR Manager for NBFAA member company JMG Security. "We interviewed several qualified industry specific candidates. We would definitely recommend the site to others in the industry."
Since it opened in 2001, wildbullet.com, a Martin/Alexander company, has become the national registry for thousands of professionals in the electronic protection industry. While many other employment websites feature a mix of different types of candidates and industry backgrounds, wildbullet.com focuses exclusively on our industry.
To take advantage of these great specials, contact wildbullet.com's NBFAA Account Specialist Eric Freedman at 949-253-4150 or visit www.wildbullet.com.
Each time you make a purchasing decision, consider doing
business with one of our many fine Associate Members. When you buy goods
or services from an Associate Member, you can be assured that you're also
supporting NBFAA.
Respected computer writer Fred Langa recently wrote an article detailing how simple maintenance can prevent PC headaches in 2005. While this was intended as an end-of-the-year set of tasks, there is never a bad time to make sure your PC is running well. You can read the article at http://tinyurl.com/3s38n. Take time to read this incredibly informative article - your PC will thank you for it.
Question:
Under what circumstances can an alarm company owner drug test his
employees? In the event that it is discovered that an employee is
using drugs, under what circumstances and conditions can the employee
be terminated?
Answer:
It is in the interest of providing and maintaining safe and efficient
working environment that employers drug test their employees. In New
York, "[t]he courts have uniformly held that drug testing by
private employers raises no constitutional issues, nor does it so
infringe on individual rights to privacy that it must be banned entirely.
Therefore, in the absence of a statutory prohibition against drug
testing, the practice is not per se unlawful." Accordingly, absent
the passage of a statutory prohibition, it is per se permissible for
a private alarm company to conduct nondiscriminatory random drug tests.
From the onset of employment, employees should be notified that submitting
to random drug tests is a term and condition of employment and all
positive results must be properly confirmed in order to help reduce
the liability for "adverse employment action."
Employers may deny an applicant employment or terminate the employment of a current employee based on a positive drug test. However, employers should be mindful of the fact that drug addictions can be considered a disability within the meaning of the Human Rights Laws so as not to find themselves the subject of a lawsuit. While HRL §296 provides that an employer cannot discriminate because of the disability of an individual and the Mental Hygiene Law §1.03(3) defines substance dependence as a "mental disability" within the meaning of HRL §292, the Courts have ruled that the HRL does not apply the term "disability" to those who are casual or social users of drugs. The HRL is designed to protect only those persons who are addicted or have been addicted to drugs, but are presently recovered, from being denied employment or terminated from employment.
A person who is considered to be disabled within the meaning of the
HRL can be denied employment and terminated from employment. In order
to take one of these "adverse employment actions," a company
must either prove that due to the disability the individual would
be prevented from performing the activities involved in the job in
a reasonable manner, that the person constitutes a "direct threat
to property or the safety of others" or that the person's actions
constitute disqualifying misconduct.
Ken Kirschenbaum, Esq
Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC
Ken@KirschenbaumEsq.com
For Member Update Sponsorship information
contact
NBFAA Director of Business Development Tonja
Jenkins.
If
you have questions, comments or concerns about Member Update, please contact
the Communications Department.
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