Question: I am responsible for writing and sending our job offer letters. While I know I cannot explicitly prohibit an employee from discussing their salary, terms of employment, etc., am I allowed to declare a job offer as "Private and Confidential," stated within the job offer itself?

Response: You are correct that compensation discussions among employees are protected under the federal National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which applies to both unionized and non-unionized employers alike. Indeed, among other things, the Act prevents an employer from interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in exercising their statutory rights, and it specifically protects the right of employees to discuss their wages (as well as other terms and conditions of employment) with one another for their mutual aid or protection.

To this end, the employer needs to take care that the wording selected for an offer letter or in any other communication with applicants, offerees or employees, does not risk being misunderstood as a directive not to share salary information or any other similar data should an employment relationship begin. We advise that the employer omit any language or notation in an offer letter or other communication that might suggest to an offeree that he or she cannot reveal or disclose the information contained therein, including to co-workers should the offer be accepted. A notation of "Private and Confidential" may do just that, so the employer is advised to exclude it.

We appreciate, however, that the employer may want to emphasize that the information contained in an offer letter is for the "recipient's eyes only" upon receipt. If the employer’s objective is to ensure that no one other than the offeree opens the letter, you may wish to include a notation along the lines of "Private Correspondence" on the outside of the envelope in which the offer letter is contained. This would presumably alert others in the offeree's household that the envelope is for the recipient only to open. Language to this effect on the outside of an envelope is less likely to create a substantial risk of an NLRA violation. By contrast a notation on, or language in, the letter itself that suggests the recipient cannot share the information contained therein (if he or she wants to do so) can indeed expose the employer to a potential NLRA violation, and thus is ill-advised.
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Want to learn more? Click here to listen to a podcast on Job Offers and confidentiality. 

​Federal Brace is releasing two new products into their Decorative Shelf Systems line. The Eco-Lucent LED Lighted Shelf System and a 36” length in our Classic Floating Shelf System will be released this month in both a white wood grain veneer and stainless steel finishes, joining other sizes and finishes in Federal Brace’s Floating Shelf Line along with being added to their expanding line of Eco-Lucent LED system products. Federal Brace’s shelving products have been well-received by designers and homeowner alike, making Federal Brace an industry leader in floating shelving and supports.
 
The 36” shelf, available solely in white wood grain veneer or stainless steel, will join the 24”, 40” and 72” classic floating shelf units already available in a numerous finishes, including white and coffee wood grain veneer, raw maple, and stainless steel. The Eco-Lucent LED Shelf will be added to Federal Brace’s Eco-Lucent LED System products line, incorporating elements from both the Classic Floating Shelf Line and the Eco-Lucent LED Lighting System, which will allow for a beautiful array of colors regardless of where the shelf is displayed.

​Both shelves will have the same ¼” thick mounting bracket as the other floating shelf systems, keeping the same high-standards for sturdiness and durability that Federal Brace prides itself on. They will have carry capacity of 100 pounds when installed into a substructure, such as studs, making them a great fit for display shelving, decorative shelving, or even storage.
 
For more information on the new 36”-sized Floating Shelf or the Eco-Lucent LED System Shelf, visit them at www.federalbrace.com or contact their experienced team by calling 1 (877) 353-8899. These products will be available for viewing at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show from January 9th through 11th; see them by visiting booth S4636.

The 2018 R1 release of Alphacam, from Vero Software, includes considerable enhancements to automation and nesting functions.
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There is now the ability in Automation Manager to have a connection between ‘parent-child’ parts, as job files can now be added to another job file as a sub-component. This enhances the management of parts that should be manufactured in groups.

The sub-components have similar properties to the main components, such as layer mapping, along with material and nesting properties. Alphacam Product Owner Felipe Ferrary says the sub-components will be loaded automatically with the main ‘parent’ component.

“When creating jobs, users can easily add files to a job, and as all sub-component parts will be loaded automatically, it improves ease of use and productivity.”

Also in Automation Manager, drawings and fittings can now be added to specified datum points. When processing a job the fittings will automatically be inserted at a pre-defined position, and can also be used in parametric drawings. Alphacam also contains a small sample library of fitting types.

He says this new item of functionality allows parametric or constrained parts that require inserted fittings to be easily created.

And there is a new option in Automation Manager to avoid machine table collisions, with the ability to check Z levels on toolpaths. The new Tolerance Collision Check can be selected from the Machine Table Collision Method drop-down list, and a Z-level tolerance and material Z0 specified, for example, at the top or bottom of the part. Users will be warned if any toolpaths cutting deeper than the material thickness, plus the tolerance, are detected.

Another enhancement to the Automation Manager in Alphacam 2018 R1 is being able to preview job files and sub-components without having to process the job, speeding up productivity. Users can also access 13 additional nesting-extension options.

Nesting itself has an important new feature allowing the nesting engine to automatically use the best available user-selected sheets. “Previously, the sheets would be used in the order picked and, therefore, the nest wasn’t always optimized for best sheet usage,” explains Ferrary. “But now, users can select multiple sheets and the nesting function automatically picks the best combination, which can significantly reduce material usage.

Following customer requests, the TimeStudy function has now been reinstated as a 64-bit add-in, giving users their total machining time in a few seconds without any special settings or configuring reports. TimeStudy is a quick and easy way to report machining time, taking into account the units, Machine Tool Rapid Rate, Tool Change Time, Part Load/Unload Time and efficiency rate. It also displays the time specified to each operation, as well as the total machining time.

A new Geometry option creates the minimum 3D bounding rectangle to enclose solids and surfaces. The box can be aligned using feature-extraction settings, and also defined by material. Additional stock can be specified in any of the bounding-box faces. The new function means that users can easily define the minimum amount of material needed to machine a solid or surface, and define the work volume required.  

The Cylindrical Parallel strategy for 3D machining has been improved to give easier control over the start/end Angles and CW/CCW direction. The start angle can be less or greater than the end angle, and the CW checkbox now dynamically updates the on-screen cutting area, providing graphical feedback on the area to be cut, and the tool’s starting position.

“This simplifies toolpath creation by letting the user specify any combination of angles, and gives an appropriate graphical feedback on the machining area.”
 
Lathes
Two items of enhanced functionality which are specifically for Alphacam’s Lathe module are an update to machining dialogs and new cycles added to C/L Drilling and Tapping.

On the machining dialogs update, turning dialogs now use the new machining dialogs style. Following the improvement in the milling C-axis machining dialogs, the turning dialogs have all been updated and modernized, containing images and tooltips, which improve ease of use.

Additionally, for C/L Drilling and Tapping, the commands have been combined and a new cycle added for pecking, boring, and chamfering. This brings the center-line drilling functionality close to matching the C-Y axis drilling functions, and means that all drilling options are available, which could previously only be used in C-axis and C/L drilling.

Stone
Alphacam 2018 R1 contains two major enhancements for stone companies.

Firstly, there is increased support for the Guard visualization when creating disk-cutting toolpath, improving the Geometry Disk Cutting and Surface Disk Cutting cycles. The Guard can also be visualized when selecting elements in layer mapping and changing tools during an operation, along with selecting toolpath elements from the layers tab.   
Ferrary says this helps users to graphically see the disk guard when creating toolpath, and how the guard will be orientated during cutting.

The second enhancement is a new option for including extra passes at profile walls when roughing in the Cut with Disk operation. “These extra passes can be set irrespective of the specified width of cut, and ensures excessive stock is removed from the profile walls for finishing.

“It means users no longer have to create an extra operation or define a small width of cut to remove unwanted stock at the walls.”

 About Vero Software
Headquartered in England, Vero Software designs, develops, and supplies CAD/CAM/CAE software radically enhancing the efficiency of design and manufacturing processes, providing its customers with exceptional value through high productivity gains and significantly reducing time to market.
 
The company’s world-renowned brands include Alphacam, Cabinet Vision, Edgecam, Machining STRATEGIST, PEPS, Radan, SMIRT, Surfcam, WorkNC, WorkPLAN and VISI. Despite the diversity of application, these solutions have one thing in common: they all address the rising challenges of achieving manufacturing efficiencies and bring huge value to the operations in which they are deployed.
 
Vero has direct offices in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, USA, Brazil, Netherlands, China, South Korea, Spain and India supplying products to more than 45 countries through its wholly owned subsidiaries and reseller network.
 Vero is part of Hexagon (Nordic exchange: HEXA B), a leading global provider of information technologies that drive quality and productivity across geospatial and industrial enterprise applications. 
For more information, please visit www.verosoftware.com.

Federated Insurance Companies’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Fetters announced Wednesday the appointment of Michael G. Kerr to the role of President of the Companies effective December 1, 2017. Kerr will add these responsibilities to his current role as Chief Operating Officer.
 
As President, Kerr will assume greater responsibility and authority for the operational functions that drive the Companies’ financial results. He will continue to be a member of Federated’s Operations Team and will work directly with Life Company operations; Property and Casualty Underwriting, Claims, Field Services, Marketing, and Marketing Services and Support; Special Accounts; and Granite Re, Inc.
 
“Positioning the organization with the next generation of leadership is one of my most critical duties,” said Fetters, who had held the role of president until this appointment. “Mike Kerr, whom I have known and worked with for over 35 years, is exceptionally qualified for these new responsibilities and is supported by an outstanding executive leadership group.”
 
A native of Michigan and a graduate of Central Michigan University, Kerr has served in a number of key roles over his 36-year career. His career began as a Marketing Development Trainee in 1981 and then to a Marketing Representative position in Michigan in December of 1982. In April 1986, he was named District Marketing Manager in Southern Indiana, followed by his promotion to Regional Marketing Manager for the Great Lakes Region headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, in June of 1993. In April 1998, Kerr was appointed Vice President and Director of Association Risk Management Services and moved his family to Owatonna.  
 
Kerr was then appointed First Vice President and took on the responsibilities of Director of Field Operations – Marketing. He has held several major leadership roles in the Home Office including chairing the Commercial Health Team and the Commercial Lines Team. He also held executive leadership responsibilities for Marketing, Advertising, Human Resources, Property and Casualty Services, and Office and Physical Services.
 
In April 2010, Mike was appointed Senior Vice President with the title of Director of Insurance Operations. In November 2013, he was appointed Executive Vice President. He has played a major role on Federated’s Operations Team with chair responsibilities for three years. On September 1, 2016, Mike was named Chief Operating Officer.
 
“Mike lives and breathes integrity,” Fetters added, “and adheres to the core principles and values upon which our Company has been built. His role as President will be highly focused on continuing the successful implementation of our Business Plan and Operational Initiatives to assure profitable company results.”
 
Founded in 1904, Federated Insurance is a national insurance and risk management organization that serves the property, casualty and life insurance needs of clients in select industries. The organization has more than 500 recommendations from state, regional, and national associations and buying groups and is rated A+ (Superior) by industry analyst A.M. Best® Company. 

Biesse’s Viet S1 is the fully equipped calibrating sanding machine that combines high performance standards with reduced working dimensions, at a very competitive price. Ideal for small and medium-sized businesses, the S1 ensures maximum reliability and precision, derived from the experience gleaned from higher-end machines.
 
BIESSE S.p.A. - Biesse Group is a global leader in technology for processing wood, glass, stone, plastic and metal. It designs, manufactures and distributes machines, integrated systems and software for manufacturers of furniture, door/window frames and components for the construction, ship-building and aerospace industries. It invests on average 14 million Euro per year in R&D, boasting over 200 registered patents. It operates through 8 industrial sites, 34 branches and 300 agents and selected dealers, exporting 90% of its production. Its customers include some of the most prestigious names in Italian and international design. Founded in Pesaro in 1969, by Giancarlo Selci, the company has been listed on the Stock Exchange (STAR segment) since June 2001. It now counts 3.450 employees throughout the world.

Doug Durbin of Exclusive Woodworking http://exwood.com / nuHaus www.nuhaus.com came down to Reed Custer High School and talked with our industrial technology students about opportunities in the advanced woodworking industry. 
Exclusive Woodworking was established in 1983 on Chicago’s North Shore by brothers, John and Doug Durbin to manufacture and install the finest architectural millwork and cabinetry. For over 30 years, we have aimed to advance the American tradition of master craftsmanship in woodworking and joinery on a diverse range of projects that include residential, commercial, historic preservation and fine furniture production.
In 1988 nuHaus was founded on Chicago’s North Shore to practice this conviction; that art and function are intended not only to complement but inspire one another. nuHaus designs, manufactures and installs fine architectural millwork and cabinetry, specializing in kitchen architecture. 

Industry supporters make it possible to offer great educational opportunities to our students.  You can visit http://rchsit.weebly.com/program-supporters.html to see all of our industry supporters.

Stiles Machinery Inc. recently opened a Northeast Regional Headquarters and Training Center, in Bristol, PA to better serve their customers on the East Coast by bringing the same expert service, support and training they depend on, closer to where they live. Along with the opening of their new regional location, Stiles continues to grow their team of expert customer service and support representatives in the Northeast including the two most recent additions to their team, Mike Dozeman and Brian Billard.

Mike Dozeman, who will be serving as Stiles’ Northeast Sanding, Solid Wood and Veneering Product Specialist, began his career at Stiles in 2008, helping customers discover solutions to modernize and upgrade their machine technology. In his time at Stiles, he has worked with hundreds of manufacturers and has developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges they face. Mike’s expertise includes sanding technology from HOMAG (formerly Butfering) and Heesemann, as well as solid wood technology from Ironwood, Kentwood and HOMAG. Mike will also be representing Kuper Veneering Equipment for customers in the Northeast.

Stiles also welcomes Brian Billard to the Northeast team as the new E-Tech Sales Advisor. Brian received his Bachelor’s degree from Temple University and recently worked as the Operations Manager for a small engineering firm where he helped meet customer needs and increase the overall success of the company. Brian is excited to travel throughout the Northeast, helping customers enhance their existing technology and discover solutions to common challenges they face. 

If you are in the Northeast region and are looking for solutions in sanding, solid wood or enhancement technologies, please contact Mike at mdozeman@stilesmachinery.com | 586-764-2586, or Brian at bballard@stilesmachinery.com | 616-888-9414.
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​About Stiles Machinery Inc.
As the industry’s leading provider of advanced manufacturing solutions, Stiles has been helping manufacturers
throughout North America increase their efficiency and productivity for over 50 years. With world-class machinery
backed by an experienced and responsive support team, extensive parts inventory, unique upgrade capabilities
and a nationally accredited education program, Stiles offers a solution for every challenge. Headquartered in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, Stiles has regional offices in High Point, North Carolina; Bristol, Pennsylvania; Coppell,
Texas; and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Stiles is a proud member of the HOMAG Group, a global leader in
the production of industrial manufacturing machinery.

Visit Stiles at www.stilesmachinery.com.