Biden’s Got Union Street Cred—Harris Wants In
President Joe Biden’s been flexin’ as the most pro-union prez in US history—and folks in construction say if Kamala Harris wins in November, she’ll keep riding that same wave.
“She’s always been solid with labor and the building trades,” says Jim Brewer from North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU).
Back in the day, Harris cast the tie-breaking votes for two big pro-labor moves—the American Rescue Plan in ‘21 and the Inflation Reduction Act in ‘22. The first one threw $86 billion at struggling union pension funds, and the second gave companies major tax breaks for paying fair wages and using apprentices on clean energy projects.
She also ran a White House task force in ‘21 that dropped over 70 ways to boost worker rights on federal projects. Biden signed off on all of ‘em in ‘22.
At rallies and debates, Harris keeps talking up her middle-class roots, small businesses, and working folks. The Trump crew? They call her promises “all talk, no action.”
Unions are mostly backing her—AFL-CIO and building trades are all in. But Teamsters? Not so much. They bailed on endorsing anyone, though Harris’ camp says 11 local Teamsters groups still got her back.
Who’s Got a Say in the Game?
If Harris and her VP pick, Tim Walz, take over, union shops will be sittin’ pretty. But some construction firms that don’t roll with unions worry they’ll get iced out when it comes to shaping industry rules.
“We think Trump’s admin would actually hear out the whole industry, not just the union side,” says Ben Brubeck from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), one of the few groups openly backing Trump.
Stats say about 10.7% of construction workers were union members in ‘23, down from ‘22. But union workers made nearly $200 more per week than non-union workers last year.
ABC’s been fighting labor rules they say hurt their people—like a 2023 requirement that companies working on federal projects worth $35M+ gotta sign a project labor agreement. ABC took it to court, and now they’re waiting on a ruling.
The Apprenticeship Debate
Unions think Trump would scrap a bunch of Biden’s pro-worker rules, especially on wages and independent contractors. They’re also worried he’d push alternative apprenticeship programs that could undercut traditional union training.
Industry folks, though? They want more ways for workers to get into the trades. “We need all pathways open, not just union ones,” says Brian Turmail from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
On the flip side, guys like Stan Kolbe from the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association say union training is the “gold standard,” and watering it down would be bad news for massive projects.
The Immigration Battle
Outside of labor issues, the candidates are way different on immigration. Trump’s all about border crackdowns, saying undocumented workers are stealing jobs.
Harris clapped back in her convention speech, saying Trump killed a bipartisan border security deal just to block a win for the White House.
Construction groups, meanwhile, have been pushing for immigration reform for years. With worker shortages still a problem, they want legal paths for people to join the industry.
“We need to rebuild our workforce pipeline and bring in workers legally to help out,” says AGC’s Turmail. He adds that shady contractors using undocumented workers undercut legit businesses and hurt the workers themselves.
