America’s Building Trades Unions are working diligently with the new Obama Administration, and the US Congress, to move policy and legislative proposals that will provide immediate assistance to our nation’s economy, and protect the interests of US workers.
 
In one of his first official acts, President Obama placed an immediate halt to many proposed regulations from the Bush Administration that were being rushed through at the eleventh hour to appease their special interest constituencies.  These proposed rules included the erroneous and punitive changes to labor union reporting requirements that have to be submitted annually to the Department of Labor.
 
Secondly, the Obama Administration is working at a feverish pace with the United States Congress to move the massive “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” or stimulus package, through both the House and Senate as quickly as possible.  As you know, this legislation contains several hundred billion dollars worth of infrastructure and domestic energy development investments.
 
On January 21, the House Appropriations Committee held a mark-up on this critical legislation.  The Department’s Government Affairs team, along with lobbyists from our affiliated unions, worked with the committee chairman, Congressman David Obey (D-WI), and his staff to craft an amendment that would ensure Davis-Bacon coverage on all construction funding contained in the bill.  Currently, there are areas of federal construction where Davis-Bacon does not apply.  Our objective was to make sure we have consistent application of prevailing wage requirements throughout the bill.  And the Obama Administration agrees with us.
 
When the vote was held on our amendment, which was offered by Representative Peter Visclosky (D-IN) we prevailed in overwhelming fashion!  All of the Democrats who were present at the time voted for the amendment, as did Republicans Dennis Rehberg (MT), Steve LaTourette (OH), JoAnn Emerson (MO), Rodney Alexander (LA), and Zach Wamp (TN).
 
On January 22, when the US Senate resumed consideration of S. 181, the “Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act," Senator David Vitter (R-LA) decided to offer an amendment that would prohibit project labor agreements on federal construction projects.  The intent was to codify the current Bush Executive Order that prohibits federal PLAs.  Again, President Obama has stated repeatedly that he would reverse this Executive Order – which we anticipate occurring in short order.  Senator Vitter, at the behest of the Associated Builders and Contractors, and other anti-union special-interests, attempted to get the Bush doctrine codified into law where it would be much harder to reverse.
 
What Senator Vitter did not count upon was the united strength of America’s Building Trades Unions.  Our Legislative Task Force was fully prepared for this fight and worked all day and into the night educating key Senators and their staffs on the facts, benefits and success stories associated with PLAs and how they represent a pragmatic value for the federal government on many levels.
 
When the vote finally took place, strong support for our stand on the issue was plainly evident.  By a vote of 59-38, we overwhelmingly beat back the Vitter Amendment.  And when we take into account that there is currently an open Democratic Senate seat in New York, and that Senator Edward Kennedy was absent due to illness, we would have eclipsed 60 votes!
 
Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (AK), Arlen Specter (PA), and George Voinovich supported us on this critical vote.  They, along with all Senate Democrats, deserve praise and gratitude from the building trades councils and local unions in each of those states.  They stood firm against their leadership and chose pragmatic value over special-interest shenanigans.
 
This was an exciting, inspiring and fruitful week for America’s Building Trades Unions.
 
We look forward to continuing this momentum and securing very big, very positive victories for our unions and our members.