Rick Kennedy, a member of ABC’s Elevator Contractor Council and president of Kencor Elevator Systems, and Geoff Zeh, president of ABC’s Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter June, 30 testified on the reasons an elevator technician licensing bill should not proceed to the floor of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Kennedy told members of the Pennsylvania House Labor Relations Committee that if House Bill 1349 passed, it would create regulations that would be detrimental to merit shop elevator contractors. Currently, elevator technicians and mechanics must go through training to work on elevators and must register with the Commonwealth. One reason Kennedy gave to oppose the bill was that it would “arbitrarily limit those who could service passenger elevators, freight elevators, escalators, and even residential wheelchair lifts for the disabled.”
Kennedy also pointed out that there are 44,036 registered units with the Department of Labor’s Elevator Division and fewer than 10 serious accidents each year. He argued that this is proof that the elevator industry is able to effectively police itself.
Zeh added his support to Kennedy’s testimony and noted that ABC is “not opposed to licensing, as long as it is done the right way.” Both men recommended that the bill be held for further consideration.
The ABC Elevator Contractors Council is working on model legislation to combat these types of elevator licensing laws that are being introduced in various states around the country. In addition, Kennedy, Zeh and ABC’s Director of Craft Training Todd Staub will be meeting with the House representative who introduced the bill to discuss changes that will benefit the merit shop.