Legislative and Political

Labor Movement Delivers Key Wins in 2022 Midterm Elections

Midterm elections aren’t historically kind to the party that controls the White House. In fact, on average, the President’s party loses 28 seats in the House of Representatives and four Senate seats during midterms. That wasn’t the case in 2022, as proworker candidates fared far better than predicted by the pundits, stemming the “red wave” that so many projected.

Indeed, the pro-labor ranks of the US Senate were expanded by one when Senator Raphael Warnock (D) beat back a challenge from antiunion candidate Herschel Walker. Sen. Warnock’s victory ensures that Senate committees will now be able to more effectively move proworker initiatives and appointments through the chamber. While the exceedingly narrow margin of GOP control in the House means that Republicans must carefully weigh any proposed attacks on working families and their labor unions.

One of the key reasons for these results is that the country as a whole voted against extremist, election-denying candidates, and for candidates they felt were more in touch with the issues that mattered to them and their families. In many key races, workers made the difference.

And the victories for laborfriendly candidates were not limited to federal races. Throughout the nation, candidates who supported working families were consistently rewarded at the ballot box.

In Michigan, voters returned control of the State House to worker-friendly Democrats who have pledged to end the state’s anti-union “right-to-work” law, while in Pennsylvania, Democrats captured the House of Representatives. Similarly, Democrats retained critical governorships in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, and won new governorships in Arizona, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

OUR MOVEMENT, OUR MOMENT

BAC President Tim Driscoll praised union brothers and sisters for their canvassing efforts throughout this election cycle. “These important victories for worker-friendly legislators could not have happened without the hard work of the BAC and our brothers and sisters in the labor movement — especially in critical battleground states,” he said.

Many BAC members invested their time heavily into the AFLCIO Labor 2022 program by knocking on doors, phone-banking — taking the political conversation to the jobsite.

“We kept our pro-labor majority in the US Senate because of tireless campaigning from union members across the country,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said. “Some people said our pro-labor majority was a lost cause. But we showed them what we can do when we keep fighting.”

Labor unions continue to have their moment under the most prounion administration in decades. According to a Gallup poll released

BAC Local 2 Michigan Secretary-Treasurer Brett Gierak speaking with BAC members about the midterm elections at a construction site.

at the end of August, 71% of Americans approve of labor unions, up from 64% before the pandemic — the highest recorded in more than half a century.

From October 2021 to June 2022, union representation petitions filed at the National Labor Relations Board increased 58%, compared to the same time over the previous year. By May 25, fiscal year 2022 petitions exceeded the

RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ENSHRINED IN ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION

A major election victory for workers in Illinois was cementing the right to organize and bargain collectively in their state constitution. Over 2.1 million people (58% of the electorate) voted on Election Day for the Worker’s Rights Amendment.

“This win is something that BAC and other unions have been working around-the-clock to pass,” said ADC 1 of Illinois President Mike Volpentesta. “It will no longer be easy for right-wing, anti-worker state legislators to chip away at our hard-won labor rights. This historic amendment will protect not only collective bargaining, but will also — through stronger unions — combat income inequality and foster safer workplaces.”

Local 2 Michigan Secretary-Treasurer Brett Gierak discussing election issues with BAC members.

BAC Wisconsin District Council members supporting Governor Tony Evers (D-WI) who won re-election on November 8, 2022.

total number of petitions filed in all of fiscal year 2021.

THE FIGHT ISN’T OVER

A divided Congress will make it more difficult for the Biden Administration to move its legislative agenda forward. The administration will probably turn its attention from Congress to the federal agencies it oversees in order to achieve its labor and employment goals.

“We know the fight isn’t over – we’ll soon be called upon again to stand up for workers’ rights and to ensure that all Americans have access to the ballot box,” President Driscoll said. “In the interim, let’s remain engaged on the issues that affect BAC members’ livelihood and why elections matter.” //

Together, Biden Administration and BAC Make Efforts on Apprenticeship Training

On November 2, 2022, President Biden brought together more than 350 organizations, including BAC, to the White House to discuss expanding equitable workforce development for jobs by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and American Rescue Plan. During the event, President Biden delivered a speech on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expanded apprenticeship programs through the administration’s “Talent Pipeline Challenge,” a challenge aiming to help create pathways for Americans from every background to fill the millions of good-paying jobs.

“Companies, many of you are here, are forging partnerships with unions, community colleges, and local nonprofits to create apprenticeships that train workers to develop the necessary skills,” President Biden said. “It’s the first time we have high-paying jobs and not enough people to do them. It’s a nice problem to have. We’re solving it quickly.”

BAC representatives at the event included IMTEF National Director of Apprenticeship and Training Tony DiPerna, BAC Safety and Health Manager Liliana Calderon, and BAC Local 1 MD/ VA/DC apprentice Jamaar Evans, who spoke with President Biden about BAC’s apprenticeship and training programs. Evans also gave President Biden a bricklaying demonstration and answered his questions about the craft.

“I couldn’t believe it when they invited me to the White House! It was an incredible experience to be able to interact with the President and explain the importance of the trades to him,” Evans said after.

“BAC apprenticeships are a gateway to the middle class and a great opportunity to learn a skilled trade,” said Director DiPerna after the event was concluded. “Programs like IMTEF — that provide comprehensive apprentice training with benefits, that partner effectively with community organizations, and that recruit and support craftworkers from underserved communities — are exactly what the Talent Pipeline Challenge envisions will help meet the demand created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for highly trained, diverse construction workers.” //

President Biden meets Local 1 MD/VA/DC apprentice Jamaar Evans at the “Talent Pipeline Challenge” White House event. To the right are BAC Safety and Health Manager Liliana Calderon and IMTEF National Director of Apprenticeship and Training Tony DiPerna. BAC President Tim Driscoll, not pictured, also attended the event.

Pro-Worker NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo

One major reason that it’s important to have a US President who is supportive of organized labor is the people appointed to key offices within the administration. Labor is experiencing the support of President Biden everyday through the work of his choice for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel.

Jennifer Abruzzo became the General Counsel for the NLRB on July 22, 2021. Abruzzo has over twenty years of experience working as an attorney for the NLRB, and during the Trump Administration she served as special counsel to the Communication Workers of America.

The Trump Administration’s NLRB was viewed as the most antiunion board in the history of the agency. The Republican majority of the NLRB and the General Counsel were almost all attorneys from union-busting law firms. In fact, Peter Robb, the General Counsel at the time, had a long history as a union buster, including advising the Reagan Administration to fire the Air Traffic Controllers in 1981, effectively destroying their union. Robb was so awful for workers that President Biden asked for his resignation on his first day as President.

Abruzzo comes at the job from a different perspective. She aggressively supports the mission of the NLRB to encourage workers to join unions and collectively bargain for their wages and benefits. She is working to prevent employers from illegally subverting unions, including efforts to stop forcing workers to

attend mandatory, “captive audience,” anti-union meetings. Abruzzo has also sought increased penalties for employers who illegally fire workers for supporting unions, and is reconsidering many anti-union rulings of the Trump Board that diminished the rights of workers.

An important part of Abruzzo’s agenda is strengthening enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act. She advised Regional Offices to seek “the full panoply of remedies available to ensure that victims of unlawful conduct are made whole for losses suffered as a result of unfair labor practices.” Employer fines and backpay for workers are rising, and more workers are seeing their rights protected.

Abruzzo is also leading an effort at the NLRB to protect undocumented workers from being abused by their employers. These protections are important in the construction industry, because it stops unfair contractors from taking advantage of a cheap, disenfranchised workforce. This helps even the playing field for union contractors, and protects all construction workers from declining standards.

However, underfunding of the agency and staff vacancies continue to plague the NLRB. Years of neglect of the agency have had a negative impact on the effectiveness of the agency.

With Abruzzo as General Counsel and a new NLRB majority, workers will see an improvement as the Board works to protect their rights and supports the mission of the agency. The BAC supports all efforts to have Congress pass a budget that funds the NLRB to the capacity it needs to continue the important work of protecting working families. //

Jennifer Abruzzo