Building Trades Reach Across Aisle To Push Election Agenda
Faced with a bitterly divided political environment in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in the U.S., construction unions are making a key strategic shift to stay out of the fray and build bipartisan support as the 2016 campaigns heat up. Sean McGarvey, president of North America's Building Trades Unions, told the group's legislative conference that the labor movement and the Democratic Party should not be considered "philosophical soul mates."
At the April 20 event in Washington, McGarvey told conferees to "focus on building increased support for our issues and priorities, no matter the party affiliation." He added, "The days of our unions being viewed as the handmaiden of any one political party" are over.