Q1 2023
COUNCIL NEWS
SSMRC working to ensure our members benefit from historic federal investments in infrastructure, technology, energy projects
The SSMRC is part of a committee that is working to make sure union members and particularly our millwrights gain substantial job opportunities through programs that will funnel billions of dollars into infrastructure, technology, and clean-energy projects during the next decade.

Requirements and incentives in recent federal legislation including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Chips and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act were designed to create good-paying jobs with benefits for workers without college degrees. Many projects these programs will fund will be built in rural areas and must use project-labor agreements, which require workers to be paid prevailing wages and benefits. Union contractors will have a strong advantage because of the labor standards built into the programs. Read more about the UBC Southern District Infrastructure Committee.
SSMRC political director: Take advantage of home weatherization tax credits
As part of the SSMRC's involvement with the Southern District Infrastructure Committee (described above), we have joined the National Association of State Energy Officials. Membership in this organization allows us to communicate with decision makers about how using our workforce can help state and local governments win federal funding for projects at power-generating facilities.

While at NASEO's 2023 Energy Policy Outlook Conference in Washington D.C. last month, I learned about home-weatherization tax credits that I want to share with you. You can save on everything from windows and doors to heat pumps, water heaters, and more. Check out the list and learn more.
SSMRC staff network with elected officials, contractors, manufacturers at automotive summit
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein [left] with Logan Brown, director of the SSMRC's Eastern Region, during the Auto Focus summit at our Charlotte, North Carolina, training center.
SSMRC leaders networked with elected officials, contractors, and manufacturers at the 2023 Auto Focus Summit hosted by our training center in Charlotte, North Carolina, March 1-2. The Southern States Automotive Contractors Association, an organization the SSMRC was instrumental in creating, held the event.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein gave a presentation and said he is committed to assisting in the prosecution of contractors who misclassify workers and commit payroll fraud. North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Sanders also was a guest speaker. Both Stein and Sanders toured the Charlotte training center. "They were fascinated with the investment in North Carolina and excited to witness the opportunities their constituents have for great-paying careers and accessible skill training," said SSMRC Eastern Region Director Logan Brown, who attended the event with Charles Smith, business agent for Millwright Local 1263.
Halford to speak at Labor Spring in northwest Arkansas
SSMRC Political Director Rick Halford will be among the speakers at an event aimed at highlighting ways unions and collective action by workers can alleviate the most pressing problems facing northwest Arkansas residents.

The Northwest Arkansas Labor Council and the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville Education Association/Local 965 will host the Northwest Arkansas Labor Spring Teach-In at the Fayetteville Public Library on April 8, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Issues in northwest Arkansas that collective bargaining could positively affect, according to the event organizers, include: low wages and persistent poverty, especially among children; economic inequality; and the growing marginalization of working people in public life. Read more.
UBC NEWS
SSMRC to target state legislators during Tax Fraud Days of Action
The SSMRC is uniting with the UBC and other regional councils again this year for Tax Fraud Days of Action. When contractors fail to pay proper employment taxes because they pay workers under the table and misclassify employees:

  • Workers lose pay, benefits and opportunities for safe, decent jobs for their families.
  • Taxpayers and our communities lose billions of dollars in public funds.
  • Contractors who abide by the law and pay taxes lose work to those that don’t.

Read more about the harms of construction-industry tax fraud here. During 2023 Tax Fraud Days of Action (April 12-18), the SSMRC will run geofence ads aimed at state legislators at all 11 state capitols in our jurisdiction. We'll educate them on the prevalence of and harm caused by this kind of tax fraud. Learn how one worker has been affected while working at a Microsoft data center.
STATE NEWS
Tennessee bill would limit ways to form a union
A bill in the Tennessee Legislature would micro-manage how votes for union representation are conducted at private businesses.

The bill – HB 1342 in the House of Representatives and SB 650 in the Senate – would make a secret-ballot election the only option for forming a union for employees who work for an employer who has received economic incentives from the state of Tennessee. Those workers would not be able to use card check, sometimes called “majority sign-up,” to organize a labor union. Read more.

If you live in Tennessee, please click the button below to send a letter to your legislators. It only takes a minute.
Arkansas enacts law paving way for child-labor exploitation, lower overall wages
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law earlier this month eliminating work permits that require children under 16 to provide proof of age, job and work-schedule descriptions, and parental consent to the state Labor Department.

The lack of documentation makes it easier for corporations to illegally employ minors and avoid paying them fair wages, which could reduce wages for all people in many industries. In addition, business owners now have a clearer path for evading employment taxes that communities depend on for vital services.

Bill would eliminate healthcare and retirement for workers on public-works projects in Texas, TSBCTC says
The Texas State Building and Construction Trades Council is warning that a bill in the Texas Legislature would create a prevailing wage rate for public-works projects that does not take into account fringe benefits such as retirement accounts and healthcare coverage on which many workers rely. Learn more about the bill.
Strike at Alabama mine ending after almost 2 years
What is believed to be the longest strike -- almost two years -- in Alabama history is coming to an end with coal miners returning to work without the better pay, benefits, and time off they were fighting for. A drastic increase in the price of steel, which coal from the Warrior Met mine is used to make, robbed the United Mine Workers of America of their bargaining power.

Millwright Local 1192, which covers Alabama, has been supportive of the striking miners. Read more about the strike, from start to end, here.
Michigan repeals 'right-to-work,' restores prevailing wage law
Michigan repealed its "right-to-work" law on March 24, becoming the first state in decades to overturn such anti-union legislation. Falsely named "right-to-work" laws allow workers to opt out of paying union dues and fees while unions remain legally bound to represent them.

On the same day, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also signed legislation restoring a prevailing wage law that requires contractors working on state projects to pay union-level wages. Read more.
NATIONAL NEWS
Second-year BIL airport awards to fund 34 Southern projects
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $15 billion for airport projects over 10 years, and the Federal Aviation Administration has announced $2.89 billion in second-year (2023) funding. The map below shows funds available for each airport and projects underway. Thirty-four projects in our 11-state Southern District are receiving 2023 funding.
Help take advantage of historic union interest to grow our membership
Interest in unions is up, and union membership is rising. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other recent legislation, there will be plenty of work for union members and contractors for years to come. If you know someone with a strong work ethic who needs a job with great pay and benefits, point them to our application. They can learn more about unions in general on the U.S. Labor Department's Union 101 web page.
State of the Union Address emphasizes unions, working people
Political leaders are paying attention to union and worker issues. During the 2023 State of the Union Address, the president talked about unions, the creation of jobs with fair wages and benefits, and investing in the middle class. If you missed it, click the image below to check out highlights.
Union apprenticeships recruiting more diverse workforce than non-union programs; this could help our employers win bids
The percentages of women and Black and Latino workers signing up for union-affiliated registered apprenticeships are significantly higher than the percentages of those workers joining non-union apprenticeships, according to a study by the independent Institute for Construction Economics Research.

This means our workforce can better help employers meet the diversity requirements in some contracts. That can translate into more work for our members. Read more.
LABOR DEPARTMENT NEWS
DOL invests $20 million to increase enrollment in Registered Apprenticeships
Labor Secretary Walsh was joined by union leaders and apprentices when he announced on March 6 a $20 million agreement that advances apprenticeships in the construction industry. The agreement between the U.S. Labor Department and the nonprofit TradesFutures will support the department’s “Scaling Apprenticeship Readiness Across the Building Trades” initiative.

TradesFutures will work to enroll more than 13,000 people in apprenticeship readiness programs and place at least 7,000 of them into Registered Apprenticeships in the construction industry. Read more.
Childcare costs crippling working-class families, barring access to trade careers
Childcare expenses account for 8% to 19% of family income per child and present barriers to employment for many parents, according to a new, county-level database of childcare prices the U.S. Labor Department released in January.

Because millwrights and other tradespeople often work non-traditional hours and travel long distances to jobsites, typical childcare-center hours add another layer of difficulty for workers in these careers, which can provide a pathway to the middle class. Many millwrights have to enlist not just one childcare center but two or three resources to accommodate their schedules, making care even more expensive, said Sarah Jones, a member of Millwright Local 2232 and co-chair of the SSMRC Sisters in the Brotherhood Committee. Read more.
DOL highlights efforts to reduce gender wage gap in construction
March includes Women in Construction Week and Equal Pay Day, and it's Women's History Month. Across occupations, women working full time earn 83.7% of the pay men receive, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In the construction industry, however, women make 94.3% of men's earnings. Unions are one of the best ways to improve pay equality because our agreements with employers ensure equitable wages and benefits.

We hope you saw on our social-media channels and in the Member E-News what women in the SSMRC had to say about their career journeys.

The U.S. Labor Department has several initiatives aimed at ensuring pay equality in the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Chips and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Read more:

Rick's Reading List
To learn more about what's happening in the labor movement and with legislation and policies affecting unions and working people, check out recommended articles and videos from SSMRC Political Director Rick Halford.