WASHINGTON, DC, June 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Over the weekend, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) hosted its annual U.S. Legislative Conference to a virtual audience consisting of building trades leaders from across the nation. The event addressed the successes and challenges facing the unionized construction industry, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent need for a broad infrastructure package that incorporates strong labor standards and supports the creation of middle class, family-sustaining careers.
“Every year, NABTU and our Governing Board of Presidents look forward to hosting this fantastic event as an opportunity to bring together our members, industry partners, and political leaders,” said NABTU President, Sean McGarvey. “This time around, our conference focused on the urgent need for a robust federal infrastructure package and the opportunities it will create - especially for communities of color, at-risk communities, women, military veterans, and the formerly incarcerated. Our membership, and Americans as a whole, have waited far too long for a meaningful investment in our country’s middle class, and we can’t afford to continue putting it off - The Time is Now.”
This year’s conference featured a virtual plenary session with several prominent speakers and inspiring videos. This year’s speaker lineup included: NABTU President, Sean McGarvey; Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi; Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer; U.S. Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm; U.S. Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg; U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo; U.S. Senator, Ron Wyden (D-OR); and U.S. Representative Richard Neal (D-MA).
After a ceremonial kick-off, President Sean McGarvey delivered his keynote address. In his address, President McGarvey highlighted the year that was for the building trades and the strides we - and Congress - need to take going forward to strengthen our membership, the construction industry, and the middle class.
At the conclusion of the plenary, attendees then took part in issue-specific workshops focused on much-anticipated infrastructure legislation and the recent multi-employer pension reform that passed in the American Rescue Plan.
NABTU looks forward to hosting its 2022 conference next Spring in Washington, D.C.
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About NABTU: North America’s Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest almost $2 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and productive, skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renowned apprenticeship and training, and creating pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color and military veterans in the construction industry. For more information, please visit www.nabtu.org, and to learn more about the building trades efforts, follow the hashtag #BuildingTradesWhateverItTakes.