Biden campaign starts at NABTU Conference
President Joe Biden announcing he would run for a second term at the 2023 NABTU Legislative Conference
Just a few hours after officially announcing he would seek a second term, President Joe Biden started his re-election campaign with an enthusiastic speech to close out the first day of the 2023 NABTU Legislative Conference.
Standing patiently in front of more than 3,000 union construction delegates and a standing room only group of invited guests, Biden had to wait for the extended cheers and applause to subside before reviewing the accomplishments of his time in office with the crowd.
“It feels like coming home. It’s so good to see you guys,” Biden said, drawing more applause. “I’m here because there is no better place to talk about what we have accomplished.”
The North America’s Building Trades Unions annual conference kicked off on the four-year anniversary of Biden’s first announcement that he was running for the country’s highest office, which made addressing the gathering an easy choice for the most pro-union president ever.
Biden ended many portions of his speech by repeating his re-election campaign theme, “Finish the job.” This included references to the Infrastructure Bill, the Inflation Reduction Actand the CHIPs Act, and again as he closed his speech.
“We made a lot of progress because of you. Let’s finish the job!” he said as the crowd rose to its feet. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future. Because of you all and what we’re doing. We have to finish the job!”
Roughly three hours earlier, NABTU President Sean McGarvey kicked off the conference with the keynote address that focused on the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead for union construction workers thanks to estimates that call for trillions of dollars being spent on construction due to the Infrastructure Bill, CHIPs Act and Inflation Reduction Act.
“We’ve gotten to a place where workers and infrastructure are not only a priority … They are the priority,” McGarvey said.
The NABTU President’s speech also touched on efforts to improve worker safety, responsible contracting, climate change and permit reform.
Another major topic focused on NABTU’s efforts to expand pre-apprenticeship programs nationwide through new partnerships with the Department of Labor and the Urban League. McGarvey repeatedly mentioned the Building Futures Program in Columbus as a model program to be copied across the country.
“This is our time to make sure we are building the opportunity pipeline,” he said. “… We must invest in workers in every community. Nothing less.”
Sandwiched between McGarvey and Biden’s remarks were speeches from former DOL Secretary Marty Walsh, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and a Q-n-A session between McGarvey and Brendan Bechtel, CEO of the Bechtel Corporation.
Bechtel has been the general contractor on numerous megaprojects including the Shell Cracker Plant in northwest Pennsylvania, the second half of the massive Vogtle nuclear power plant project in Georgia and now the Intel project outside of Columbus.
The conversation focused heavily on different ways contractors and NABTU can work to address worker shortages predicted in the decade ahead.
While the heightened security and media coverage reduced after the first day, a smaller crowd was on hand for Day Two, which was dominated by speeches from both Democrat and Republican members of Congress. This included Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Ala.), Sen. Raphael G. Warnock. (D-Ga.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer (D-New York).
Bacon and Fitzpatrick were two of the 13 Republicans who voted in favor of the Infrastructure Bill, and Fitzpatrick was a co-sponsor on the recently reintroduced PRO Act.