One year after he stood before thousands of union construction leaders and announced his intent to seek a second term in office, President Biden returned to the North America’s Building Trades Unions Legislative Conference to accept their endorsement.

The three-day conference from April 22-24 included a Day of Community Service followed by the two-day plenary. The speaker line-up was void of any members of Congress as both the House and Senate were away on a two-week recess.

Biden was the final speaker of the conference. Wearing red, white or blue T-shirts, the more than 3,000 delegates in the packed ballroom repeatedly interrupted the president’s remarks with applause, accompanied by inflatable “thunder sticks” and chants of, “Four more years! … Four more years!”

“We all grew up with folks who sort of looked down on us because of what our dads did,” Biden said. “People like Donald Trump learned a different lesson. He learned the best way to get rich is to inherit it. He learned that paying taxes is something working people did – not him. He learned that telling people, ‘You’re fired,’ was something to laugh about.”

Instead, NABTU President Sean McGarvey’s opening Keynote Address was followed by a mix of Biden Cabinet members, governors, mayors and state officials. Every speech included comments about how important it is to keep Biden in The White House.

“Over the years, we have all seen presidents and members of Congress come and go,” McGarvey said. “They all promise infrastructure … and for years nothing happens. Until this administration. Now everything has been delivered.

“…All these wins will be rolled back if we don’t (re-elect Biden.),” he continued. “… Together, we have the power to shape the future with a true Brother in the White House.”

Day 1 Speakers
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb was among the Day 1 speakers that followed McGarvey’s opening remarks. Bibb was escorted to the stage by Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary/Business Manager Dave Wondolowski and a group of delegates from Cleveland area building trades unions.

Bibb introduced himself to the crowd and called himself a “partner and strong advocate for the building trades.”

“You all play a vital role in shaping the landscape and infrastructure of this country,” Bibb said. “Your expertise is evident in every building and road in our neighborhoods.

Your dedication to quality and safety ensures the work you do will stand the test of time and serve generations to come.”

Bibb also credited the building trades with doing more than quality construction work and referenced the Conference theme, “Foundations for the Future” in explaining how the trades help create a path to the middle class for underserved members of so many communities.

“But your work is not just buildings and roads,” he said. “It creates opportunities. This organization has also laid the foundation of policies to recruit new workers from all walks of life.”

Suggesting Cleveland-area speakers for the NABTU conference is something Wondolowski has done in the past and will continue to do so in the future. When he learned this year’s Conference would have more of a state and local presence, he thought Bibb could be a good option because, “he is a dynamic speaker.”

He reached out to Bibb’s office back in January to discuss the possibility of Bibbspeaking at the conference. Eventually, the conversation got to the point where NABTU Government Affairs Director Jim Brewer reached out and spoke to Bibb as well, Wondolowski said.

Besides McGarvey and Bibb, other Day 1 speakers included Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Jeff Peoples, Chairman, President and CEO of Alabama Power Company.

Day 2 Speakers
The second day of the NABTU Legislative Conference began with the airing of a nearly five-minute YouTube video titled, “NABTU endorses Joe Biden for President of the United States.”

McGarvey is prominently featured during the video. He is highly critical of the former president while news footage and clips of the former president appear.

“Donald Trump is incapable of running anything, let alone the most powerful country in the history of the world,” McGarvey states. “And God help us if he gets anywhere near that White House in the future.”

About halfway through the video, the tone changes as McGarvey begins highlighting Biden’s accomplishments during his first term, which directly impacted the building trades. It concludes by announcing the endorsement and a promise to “use everything at our disposal in our quest to have Joe Biden re-elected as the President of the United States.”

Before Biden took the stage at the end of Day 2, speakers included Robin Carnahan, Administrator of the General Services Administration, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, AFL-CIO President (and IBEW member) Liz Shuler, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Paige Cognetti, Mayor of Scranton, Pa. (where Biden was born).

The two governors made very poignant remarks as the building trades have played crucial roles in addressing major catastrophes in both their states.