On August 19, the first day of the Democratic National Convention, delegates approved the party’s 2024 platform, a broad 92-page document outlining the party’s domestic and foreign policy priorities. Some topics apply directly to construction.
At or near the top of the list is infrastructure. The infrastructure section is familiar ground for construction industry groups. It reiterates statements by the Biden administration since the lead-up to the Jobs and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2021 and the continued rollout of funding competitions and grants that have come out of that $1.2 trillion measure .
The platform notes that the IIJA has so far financed more than 57,000 projects in highways, transit rail and other transport sectors.
The paper also cites IIJA-funded work in non-transportation-related areas, such as replacing leaded drinking water lines, building clean energy projects and expanding broadband Internet.
Labor impact
Thanks to the IIJA and other laws and initiatives, the platform says 880,000 construction jobs have been added since the start of the Biden administration. It adds that projects include Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements for workers and incentives to use project labor agreements. The document notes that IIJA projects also have Buy America mandates.
The platform takes a swipe at Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, saying he accomplished little on the infrastructure front while in the White House.
In 2018, Trump proposed what his administration estimated was a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, but only $200 billion was direct federal funding. The rest was to come from state and local funds and the private sector. The proposal got nowhere in Congress.
On labor policy, the platform says Democrats will continue to push the Right to Organize Act, or PRO. The measure, organized labor’s top legislative priority, has been introduced in Congress but has yet to pass. Business groups such as the Builders and Contractors Association strongly oppose the bill.
At the party convention in Chicago, organized labor was well represented among the many speakers on the first day.
IBEW leaders address convention of workers
One session featured six union leaders, including the general presidents of two construction unions, who had supported Harris.
Brent Booker, general president of the International Workers Union of North America, said: “For decades, we fought for more investment in our infrastructure while Trump made empty promises. The Biden-Harris administration delivered.”
Kenneth Cooper, general president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said: “We are building a new energy future while providing good-paying jobs and a stable retirement for all working families.” He added, “Every step of the way, Kamala Harris has been there for us.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters had requested an opportunity to speak at the Democratic convention. But as of Aug. 19, he had not received a response to his request, said Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokeswoman. The Teamsters is an affiliate of the construction unions of North America.
In July, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien addressed the Republican National Convention, a change from the union’s past practices. O’Neal told GOP attendees that “the Teamsters are here to say, ‘We’re not beholden to anybody or any party.’
The union has yet to endorse a presidential candidate, but has been polling its members about who to endorse. Voting will continue until August, Deniz said earlier this month.
