If all states would adopt this law, it would be the best thing that happened to our industry in 15 years. The bill if passed brings integrity, responsibility, safety, and consequences to our industry and will probably weed out those that have damaged the Auto glass industry. And the best part is this could take effect as soon as Jan.1st,2007

This could be expensive at first, but think of the ramifications it will cause......

LINK:copy and paste to your browser


opiniohttp://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=383098n

Sorry -try this link

http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=383098

Licensing, well being from Connecticut I can speak a little about about this. But first;

Who out their wants to see the installer rate increase by 20%? Well, get used to it because when Safelite, Glass America or D/T needs a licensed tech in a hurry, they are coming directly after your guys?

If you don't pay them what they want were do you get another licensed tech?.

Who wants to have it mandatory that you belong to the NGA (or other organizations) and purchase their literature to use as a study guide?

Who wants to have a union excutive on the glass board and local recruiters set up a booth at your glass shows?

And please don’t think that we received any increase on labor from additional expense by the networks, because we didn’t.

Answered yes to any of these question, then Good Luck Louisiana

Read the bill and answer your own questions. I don't read anything about being an NGA member mandatory. Where do you get the union idea? Do you think Safelite et al is above complying or should substandard practices remain to be an ok thing? This industry will not clean it's act up unless someone or some law makes it clean up. Don't you think it is about time for us to address safety as the only real issue that should concern us. Get rid of the incompetence at the bottom (installer) and the rest of the industry can compete on a really level playing field based on professionalism. The installer is our base--the very foundation of our industry. It is imperative that that person knows his trade. For four years there has been a national standard that has been ignored by the majority of this industry because there was no policeman. If you have a better idea, lets hear it. Complaining about everything that is happening to us hasn't helped yet and I have a guess that it isn't going to. Quit complaining and for god's sake do something constructive

Oh yeah,----------Good luck to us all

Every time anybody has an idea to raise the professional bar in our industry above the snake's belly where it currently resides, all the nay-sayers start what-if-ing. The sky is falling. The big, bad wolf is at the door, etc. No wonder their business is in the toilet! Quit the incessant whining about things for which you have, and never will have, any control of. If business is in the toilet, you have but to look in the mirror for the reason! Quit towing the IGA line and blaming the world (or Safelite) for your failure and misery! You see where its gotten them...on the verge of extinction begging for a few more dollars to "continue the fight"...pathetic!
Let's raise the bar folks! Weed out the bottom-feeders. Go through the growing pains and be much better off in the end. It's doable if committed professionals are willing to endure the short-term discomfort to realize some long-term gain.

Licensing would be good for the industry and safety of the people driving the cars. It would put a kink in the slop & drop installers way of doing business.
Who are probably the ones crying out against it because they would have to become a legal business and responsible for their installations.

All SB did was convey his opinions rationally due to his experience...the rest of ya'all are the ones freaking out.

Good or Bad????????????

Most everyone driving a car passed a test to get a drivers license!!! People are still bad drivers!!!!!!!!!

Just a thought...

It may add some legitimacy to the industry if auto glass technicians are trained and licensed professionals -Maybe they can more easily demand a better pay scale based on that fact. I have heard many times over the years comments such as “I had everything it took to get into the glass business –A van and a cell phone”.

Another thought: Even beauticians are licensed and no one has ever died of a bad haircut (to my knowledge)

Doctors have licences and they are still only PRACTICING. If they goof up people DIE. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I am totally against licensing but it will NOT cure the EVILS.

XXX -I agree that licensing technicians doesn't solve the many probelms that plague our industry, but I feel it is a one issue that might help just a little. There are no silver bullets here -there are many things we can and should do to improve the industry and I think this is just one of them.

It doesn't matter if it's the best news in the whole glass industry you always have someone that's going to be negative. This bill will also get the guys working out the back of their truck selling DW1217 for 100.00 out of business. The only expense they have is their gas and liabilty insurance while we carry workmans comp.,shop keepers and anything else you are required to have. I also heard if you have a felony charge against you you cannnot be licensed. So all the negativity is what's keeping you fussing and cussing instead of standing up and doing something about it. Oh by the way i am a female installer and i install by the book, as most say.

http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=383098
Big loophole, check out page 3 lines 18-23. I'm all for helping the glass industry and this may be a good first step but whom is going to enforce it???
We have a law here that says you have to have a 3 gallon flush toilet instead of the 5 gallon ones we had. Its to save water and was passed by concerned people wanting to save us from our wasteful ways. Of course now we have to flush twice to get rid of the contents of the bowl. Or is it just me!

So if I read this right- Page 3 line 18 says that you do not need to take the exam if you have been installing for 6 months come January 2007? Wow six months of training is it? I would think a minimum of a year AT LEAST. The other gripe I would have is the fee and renew every year. Why not renew every other year?

being licensed isn't going to make any difference, safelite isn't going away, the one man mobile guys, like myself, aren't going away. why would you want the government more in your business than it already is. why would you think that licensing would do away with any company? it is relativly cheap and sounds pretty easy to be licensed. even the AGRSS doesn't find anything wrong with mobile installers. the only reason most of us started is because we were working 10 hours a day 6 days a week killing our bodies to make the shop we were working for all the money. what is going on in the states that are already licensed? did safelite close because their techs couldn't get licensed? did the mobile guys jsut give up their livelyhood i doubt it.

My thoughts are I dont see many installers who can do what a auto glass installer should.Do you think 6 months or 2 years will make a installer who can do a 55 Chevy or cut a flet w/s.This is part of our proffesion.To many installer think I have installed auto for 18 months and I know it all.The problem I see is installers are not trainded for the full 360.We as owners need to go back to full training.It will take a busy shop to fully train in old and new several years ,quit 3 week traing half installers

I am a NGA certified senior level tech. and have attended the Ford-Carlite school in Dearborn MI. This licensing bill may finally help seperate the men from the boys. I am sick and tired of competing with total incompotence. Ol Joe with a cell phone and a ratty old van should not be able to compete with trained and experienced people like myself and others like me. As for as a certain time on the job before license, well most of you should know, the proper procedure for windshield replacement is basically the same for every vehicle,a trainee doing this this every day for a week should catch on unless he or she is total moron. A person could work on the job for ten years and never install a windshield in a 55 Chevy. Louisiana licensing bill is a step in the right direction period. As for the fees go for the license, probably the only people complaining are the ones that are not use to having any overhead. Once again, it's time seperate the men from the boys. Incompotence must be decreased. Thanks LA TECH.

Just Think, If a shop and the installer were licensed by the state. How could a insurance company force Metryx on us? This could be the start of not only weeding out the bad installers, but also weeding out the need for programs that cause finacial harm to our industry and control prices.

Here in CT we have been licensed for over 2 years now and the only difference I have seen has been having to send in $150 renewal fees to the state for each tech. Also have not heard of any policing by the state to see if instalers are curently licensed. SF and DT ae still out there doing instals for $150, so doesnt seem to have effected the pay techs are getting. Seems the state has been the winner on this one. Just my two cents.

As in all things there are up sides and downfalls.Licensing will give an edge to the consumer who wants quality.I think that final price still is the deciding factor.Most consumers are still not aware of a good install versus a bad one.
States need to outlaw glass owned networks period.
The networks do have a place in our industry if owned and run by outside agencies.AS for the insurance side,i think they just got caught up in a good thing.After all who does'nt go to their supplier and ask for a better discount?Unfortunatly our suppliers do not ask us first as the glass owned networks offer lower prices all the time,just to keep their market share.Time to outlaw all glass owned networks.

I'm all for anything that betters our industry , but we need to get more loot for more responsibility .

Sorry, my intentions where not to be negative just honest.

Ed Fusco is an executive Glaziers union employee and on the State of Conn. Auto and flat glass board. Two years ago the union set up a booth at the CGDA glass day looking to recruit union installers. I believe that he also spoke at a seminar this year too.

A major player in Southern CT was forced too close down his shop because he lost two techs to a large company because of a performance pay plan. The third moved out of state all within six months. He simply could not match the benefits of the large glass company. They offered unheard wages to his employees because they where desperate for licensed tech to fulfill their insurance work . I will ask permission to release his name.

The NGA petitioned to have their curriculum the accepted reference material for license techs. The board approved their curriculum and now every apprentice needs to purchase and study the material to sit for the journeyman test.

All major networks pay us off the A pricing schedule that the rest of the country is paid on.

I have never been asked by a network, insurance company, wholesale account, consumer or vendor for my license. There are only one or two inspectors in the state responsible for catching law breakers in 36 different trades.
This is not meant to be negative, please check everything out for yourself.

this sounds like something that sounded good on paper, but like always, in practice it don't turn out so good.

seems like there are more costs associated with licensing, yet there is no montetary benefit. just another whoop to jump through, although this one sounds like it would be self inflicted.

it is nice to see people speaking up about it who have experience with the actual implementation of such a bill. i think this state has had rumblings of licensing, but without enforcement, i don't see the use.

Louisiana tech,in my response I tried to explain that that is the problem.I see installers certified that a rookie could do.I disagree with you on mobile or small shops.If you are a experienced installer I dont see a difference.We can install with 2 men mobile better than in shop,in shop I have calls that delay your install and cause distragtion.As far as conditions we dont install mobile in bad weather and we have a excellent reputation for our dedication to quality work.

AGOC-
Did you read the proposed bill for Lousiana? The bill sounds like it was wrote by a glass shop to me.

Have you read your States law about licensing? What are the penalties? If you know of a company breaking the law, REPORT them, Let Lynx know you are licensed in your State and you do not need there services. Use your license to your advantage and do not look at it like a expense.

Some of you guys need to focus some attention out of the box! Just my oppion.........

i work at a glass shop here in louisiana and every morning i pass by a guy sitting in his ford ranger pickup on the side of the highway advertising repairs for $10.00 (Ten) dollars. i have been tempted to stop and see what he tells me about a rock peck that i have already had fixed. wayne has called and spoken with our shop owner on many occasions and even used some of our pics from wrecks where windshields failed in a crash/rollover. when people call here and say that our price is $25.00-50.00 more than another quote they have i politely tell them that they are getting what they are paying for!

Just one rookies opinion, but based on years of observations in other fields.....

Licensing is almost always a good thing.

First, it ensures that all installers have a baseline of training or experience.

Second, some of the bottom feeders will not stay around if they have to get licensed. Especially if there is an agency to ensure compliance with established standards. Even more especially with the costs and testing.

Lastly, certification defines you as a professional. As a defined professional you are far more liable in the legal sense than if you are simply doing it... hopefully this will cause some of the borderline folks to get over to the light.

I read the LA text. I think it's too lax. Check out what pro mechs have to do with ASE and continueing education requirements.

certification sure worked with NGA, didn't it.

i'm sure those people certified with NGA are always busy.

if the bill follows the ones in our state, there will be no enforcement anyway, so the guys working out of the back of a truck will still be there.

i find it hard to believe that government will solve any of our problems.

Ralph, Greetings

It appears that you, indeed, have not read the content of the bill. There are already 12 or so people who are employed by the State of Louisiana as enforcement personnel in this particular commission. The revenue that will be generated from license alone will pay additional people if needed. Add to this a $2000.00 per day civil penalty for not complying and I think even an idiot can see that it will be quite lucrative for the state to have the incentive to do the enforcement. If you saw somebody not doing what they were supposed to do, and you were licensed and they might not be licensed, would you make a phone call to enforcement to get them to see if they were?

Wouldn't it be great to be able to at least call SOMEBODY? The enforcement will work because we will snitch on suspected wrongdoing?

What do you think about that, Ralph?

Sorry, Ralph--didn't mean to be critical--Thanks for the dialog but if AGRSS means anything to anybody, it won't work if it isn't enforced. Some just will not adhere to it unless they are forced to. Grandfather everyone and then set the bar and tell them if they are going to stay in the business they have to get up to speed or get out and give them an incentive to do what is in their best interest. No one is barred from starting a glass business but the stakes are high if they base that business on being the cheapest in town. If they can do that and still meet or exceed the standard then more power to them. I just don't believe anyone can do safe installations and be cheaper than anyone else. He has to cut corners to be able to cut his expense and therein lies the root problem which has caused a real safety issue for the industry.

Good luck to us all and thanks again Ralph

Wayne -

Do I understand correctly that all references to NGA certification have been removed from the bill?

If so, someone needs to grow some nads!

my main concerns are these:

1. NGA certification does nothing but make NGA richer, what did they ever do for the autoglass industry?

2. as i stated previously, all the laws in world don't legislate morality. especially as i explained in this state there is no enforcement for the laws they have.

is there any instance in any state that has an anti-steering law, where it has been enforced?

in my opinion, and you know what that is worth, i think any self policing industry certification, is just fluff. I think that the certification sheets hanging on the wall are just for show.

it all boils down to the individual person, and their charachter. i have seen competitors jump on the quality bandwagon and brag themselves up, yet nothing really changes. it is all for marketing purposes.

i have seen this with NGA and with aggress, they were good ideas, but then overtaken by money interests. the original thought was lost, and if companies basically buy their way in, how much credibility is actually left? sorry, i swerved completely away from the original topic, kind of.


wayne, i never took anything you said to be offensive, and somtimes it takes a harsh response to get my attention, and to make me see the other side.