H2H Praised at Annual BCTD Conference
Let Your Country Fight For You
This year's Building Trades National Legislative Conference marked the 100th anniversary of the
Building & Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. Legislative conferences such as these
seek to promote fair wages and good standard of living for employees in building trades,
ensuring that workers have a voice when it comes to legislation in Congress. The department
is a major sponsor of the Helmets to Hardhats program.
Presidential candidates, members of Congress, and concerned union representatives all
gathered during the multi-day conference to discuss the issues facing the building and construction
industry. Interest in the issues facing organized labor and the heated 2008 presidential race
yielded the highest conference attendance yet -- 3,405 registered delegates and guests.
In response to the continued importance of providing qualified military candidates with good
union jobs, the Helmets to Hardhats program received much welcomed and warranted recognition from
candidates Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, both staunch supporters of the program. "I applaud your
partnership with Helmets-to-Hardhats,” Obama said. “I believe we have a responsibility to serve our
soldiers as well as they're serving us, and by helping make sure they have the skills to work in
the trades when they come home, you're living up to that responsibility. As president, I'll support
funding for this critical program." Clinton voiced her support saying, "No one knows better than
our unions what it means to fight for the underdog. Everyday, you are standing up for workers who
need someone to stand with them. And I'm in this race for the very same reason - to fight for
everyone who needs a champion in their corner."
The Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, provides essential coordination and
support to the work of its affiliated national and international unions in order that, through
inter-trade solidarity, organized construction workers achieve a powerful voice in government, in
bargaining, and in their communities. For nearly a century, the BCTD has secured the trade
jurisdiction and autonomy of its affiliates as the respected arbiter of trade issues and through
that work has contributed to the continuity of employment and economic security of organized
construction workers in the United States and Canada.
