When the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago on Aug. 19, delegates approved the party’s 2024 platform, a broad 92-page document outlining policy priorities, with infrastructure at the top of the list.
This national priority is familiar ground for construction industry groups. It reiterates the statements of 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 this $1.2 trillion measure .
The platform says the law has so far funded more than 57,000 projects in roads, transit, rail and other transportation sectors, and is working to replace drinking water lines, build clean energy projects and expand broadband Internet, among other investments.
Labor impact
With the infrastructure bill, the subsequent Inflation Reduction Act, and other laws and initiatives, the platform says 880,000 construction jobs have been added so far in this administration. It stresses that the projects include Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements for workers and provisions to use project labor agreements to obtain additional incentives, such as tax credits. The document also notes Buy America’s mandates for IIJA projects.
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 Protection of the Right to Organize Act, or PRO, organized labor’s top legislative priority. The measure was introduced in Congress but has not yet passed. Business groups such as the Builders and Contractors Association strongly oppose the bill.
At the convention, 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 that have supported Harris.
“For decades, we fought for more investment in our infrastructure while Trump made empty promises,” Brent Booker, general president of the Workers’ International Union of North America, told delegates. “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 wanted to speak at the convention. But as of Aug. 19, he had not received a response to his request, said Kara Deniz, a spokeswoman for the union, which is affiliated with the Construction Unions of North America.
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien addressed the Republican National Convention in July, a change from the union’s past practices. He told GOP attendees that the Teamsters “are here to say, ‘we’re not beholden to anybody or any party.’
The estimated 1.3 million-member union has yet to endorse a presidential candidate, but has voted for members related to this election. Voting will continue until August, Deniz said earlier this month.
