President Biden, don’t minimize contributions of 88% construction industry | Letters to the Editor

President Joe Biden recently toured Florida’s Gulf Coast, continuing his rhetoric promoting himself as “the most pro-union president in history.”

This discriminatory language by President Biden discounts the value of work done by the vast majority of construction industry professionals who choose not to join a union — nearly 9 in 10 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Associated Builders and Contractors supports awarding public works projects to contractors that can complete infrastructure projects safely, on time and on budget, regardless of labor affiliation.

Fair and open competition for these projects delivers the best value to all American taxpayers, not excluding 88.3% of the construction industry who freely choose not to join a union.

The latest data shows, year-over-year, the percentage of construction industry union membership dropped despite robust overall job growth, suggesting construction industry workers are not enthusiastic about joining a union when given a choice to do so. This is why the Biden administration should not continue to advance controversial policies specific to the construction industry requiring its workers to subject themselves to union-only policies.

There is no reason to mandate union-only labor when contractors can fairly compete against each other.

Exclusionary policies and campaign speeches are the last thing Florida citizens need as they continue to face rising prices on everything from food to insurance to housing.

Grant Archer

Director of government and political affairs

Associated Builders and Contractors Florida East Coast Chapter.

This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 2:25 PM.