Opinion: Carpenters Union Applaud the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Building and Construction Trades but say there is still more to do

OPINION

A recent Politico article entitled, “Union apprenticeships have more success promoting racial, gender diversity, study finds.” reported that we at the Building Trades and our registered apprenticeship programs register more Black, Latino, and women workers than our non-union equivalents, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

The research was commissioned by the North America’s Building Trades Union and conducted by the independent Institute for Construction Economics Research. It analyzed 21 years of data between 1999 and 2019 on construction apprenticeships in 34 states.

The union movement is the cornerstone of the American middle class. We provide state-of-the-art training, healthcare, retirement with dignity, and access to a long and satisfying career. A strong partnership between elected leaders, developers, the business community, and building trade unions can create community wealth.  We will build on this, through partnerships with our contractors and developers through efforts such as the Carpenters Apprentice Ready Program (CARP) and our Business Start-up program for members – which will invest in growing the capacity of diverse contractors and construction workers long before shovels go into the ground.

Equitable employment opportunities coupled with sustainable construction practices is what make this state tremendous but, moreover, it will set the standard for major construction across the country.  These opportunities create jobs for skilled tradespeople, who earn their living, provide for their families and build their future based upon investment, development and union construction in the region. Moreover, when building trades, members earn money, they spend money in the areas they work, adding to the overall economic prosperity of the region.

The committed men and women of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters are amongst the best-skilled, most productive, and safest workers, and we helped build this country and generated wealth for generations. We are committed to supporting large-scale projects that provide economic opportunity and meaningful benefits to our neighborhoods and communities.

Abrantes is the Assistant Executive Secretary-Treasurer for the Eastern Atlantic State Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents nearly 41,000 Union Carpenters from, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Virginia, & West Virginia.