Trades & Labor and the Building & Trades endorse for the April 1 election
The Bloomington & Normal Trades & Labor Assembly (AFL-CIO) and the Livingston & McLean Counties Building & Construction Trades Council hosted a local candidates’ night, Monday, January 20, 6:30 p.m., at Laborers Local 362 Hall.
After giving each candidate 3 minutes to address 3 key concerns of labor, with an extra two minutes for mayoral candidates to take questions from the floor, local union delegates voted to support and endorse the following candidates:
Bloomington Mayor: Cody Hendricks
Bloomington Ward 1: Jenna Kearns
Bloomington Ward 9: Abby Scott
Heartland Community College board: Laurie Bergner and Thomas Whitt
Normal Township supervisor: Krystle Able
“We want our local unions’ members to hear from the candidates personally and directly answer labor’s concerns,” said Trades & Labor President Jason Pascal. “Our members were very respectful, and we appreciate the candidates attendance.
“Local politics greatly impacts our members,” said Livingston & McLean Counties Building & Trades President Mike Raikes, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 197’s business manager. “Our local elected officials make decisions that can create construction projects that keep our members employed, so we are very anxious to know their attitudes.”
The questions given to candidates in advance were:
1) Will you support Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for local governmental construction projects? A Project Labor Agreement is between the local governmental unit and the area construction unions, ensuring that all those hired on the governmentally funded project are hired through the local union halls, with no union work stoppages.
1A) For City Of Bloomington & Town Of Normal Candidates: Bloomington & Normal have passed a PLA for local governmental construction projects. Would you support including Project Labor Agreement (PLA) requirements for any construction project which receives local governmental subsidies?
2) For public employees in your governmental unit, do you support neutrality to allow the workers to make their own decision on union representation, without negative pressure or outside consultants hired to thwart their democratic rights?
3) What commitment will you make in your elected position to support the effort to Fix or even Undo Tier II pensions?
Topics from the floor included the on-going labor dispute at the Uptown Marriott and former State Representative Dan Brady’s low AFL-CIO voting record from his Springfield service.
The Bloomington & Normal Trades & Labor Assembly is the AFL-CIO central labor council for McLean, Livingston, DeWitt and Logan Counties. It was founded in the 1880s and brings together over 30 local unions for mutual support and community involvement. The Livingston & McLean Counties Building & Construction Trades Council brings together 24 union construction trades to support unionized construction.
The Livingston & McLean Counties Building & Construction Trades Council brings together the union construction trades that cover that two county area for collaborative efforts.