Brothers and Sisters:
This was a good week in our council on a couple of fronts and I wanted to reach out to recognize our success and thank people for contributing to it.
We know that not all members are interested in political action and often we disagree with each other about candidates or parties. But on core issues like so-called “Right to Work” and wage theft, every union carpenter should be on the same page.
That’s why I’m proud to report that:
A bi-partisan majority of the New Hampshire House of Representatives defeated so-called “Right to Work” legislation, which Governor Chris Sununu had made his top legislative priority. The legislation can not be introduced again until 2023.
In New York, a major wage theft bill that holds general contractors accountable for wage theft committed by the subcontractors they bring on their sites has passed the state assembly and state senate and is expected to be signed by the governor.
The Framingham (MA) City Council passed a wage theft ordinance that will establish a Worker Protection Advisory Committee and require contractors on projects that receive public money or tax breaks to classify construction workers as employees, not independent contractors.
We’re proud of our members for standing up for themselves and each other by attending rallies or making phone calls and sending emails to elected officials. We congratulate those members, as well as the regional council staff and local union leaders who coordinated our efforts. In particular, thank you to Political Director Joe O’Brien, New York Political Director Tricia Brown and the staff in their departments.
In solidarity,
Joe Byrne
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
