WASHINGTON, D.C. — Speakers at a construction union event Dec. 11 expressed cautious optimism about the state of the industry but noted an uncertain future brought on by the upcoming change in the Oval Office.
Union leaders and union signatory contractors praised the work of President Joe Biden’s administration at the Association of Union Constructors State of the Union Construction Industry event in Washington, D.C. and said they look forward to a continued boost in work brought on by funding from the IIJA and CHIPS Act.
“We in the building trades will be forever grateful for what the president did,” said Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions.
He and other speakers acknowledged the uncertainty around President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. Trump could attempt to halt, change or amend some of the work done by the Biden administration, but it’s unlikely he could claw back spent or allocated funds, McGarvey said.
NABTU members have already seen the broad benefits from actions Biden has taken, McGarvey said, such as updating the Davis-Bacon Act.
McGarvey especially praised Biden’s executive order requiring project labor agreements on jobs receiving over $35 million in federal funding, saying NABTU has entered into 13 contracts on such jobs with open-shop contractors.
TAUC President-elect Chris Buckman, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based mechanical contractor BMWC Constructors, also praised the executive order by Biden, claiming PLAs ensure projects are delivered on time, efficiently and to the benefit of the workforce and community.
Nonetheless, McGarvey said, that provision won’t last.
“What we do know is that on Day 1, President Biden’s executive order on PLAs will go,” he said.
Labor secretary pick
Trump’s pick for secretary of labor was a frequent topic for speakers at Wednesday’s event. In late November, Trump named Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., as his nominee for the Cabinet post.
Chavez-DeRemer has a pro-labor record from her time in Congress, as she was one of few Republicans to support the Protecting The Right To Organize Act that was championed by unions and derided by pro-business opponents.
Buckman called Chavez-DeRemer “a surprising choice,” saying, “She seems fonder of labor than some of the other [Cabinet] picks.”
Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, called her “one of the most pro-labor Republicans in Congress,” during an economic briefing at the event.
McGarvey acknowledged Chavez-DeRemer’s pro-labor record, but cast doubt on whether any Trump Cabinet pick would function as anything but a figurehead.
Another speaker, Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., who labels himself a “pro-labor Republican,” vowed to protect aspects of Biden’s legacy such as the updates to Davis-Bacon, which was met with applause from the TAUC attendees.
“We on the Republican side are getting more pro-labor Republicans,” he said.
Courting labor
The message was clear from those in attendance: The Trump administration comes with a wealth of uncertainties, but the federal funds from the Biden administration will likely continue to benefit employers and workers alike.
McGarvey said that NABTU delivered on efforts to elect Kamala Harris, saying the organization spent a record amount of money shoring up support for her candidacy in the November presidential election.
“We don’t kid ourselves that if the vice president had succeeded, we would have done as well under the vice president as we did under Biden,” he said.
Even still, the demand for labor remains high, and McGarvey said that he believes come midterm season, Republicans will have to keep union members happy.
“We’re still the pretty girl at the dance,” he said.
