The Building and Construction Trades Department kicks off its 2009 Legislative Conference on Monday, May 18th in Washington, DC. Roughly 3,000 state and local building trades leaders will descend upon the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel for three days of intense discussions surrounding key legislative issues. The theme for this year’s conference is “One Country. One Purpose. One Movement.”
On Tuesday, May 19th, delegates will travel to Capitol Hill for an afternoon of intense lobbying on several issues of extreme importance to our industry, our unions, and our members. These issues include: The Employee Free Choice Act; the Davis-Bacon Act; Health Care Reform; Clean Energy/Climate Change Legislation; and H2(b) Visa Reform.
Speakers for this year’s conference include:
Vice President Joseph Biden - VIA VIDEOTAPE
US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
US Senator-elect Al Franken (D-MN) – VIA SATELLITE
Representative Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
Representative Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Representative James Clyburn (D-SC) – Majority Whip; US House of Representatives
Representative George Miller (D-CA)
Representative Grace Napolitano (D-AZ)
Representative James Oberstar (D-MN)
Governor Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney
Brigadier General Michael Regner – United States Marine Corps
Phaedra Ellis Lamkins – President and CEO; Green For All
This year’s event also marks an important milestone, as the Department launches a brand re-vitalization and marketing effort that is constructed upon the essence of our brand identity…where we strive to provide “Value on Display. Every Day.” This effort, which will be rolled out over the course of this year, will seek to eliminate the outdated, and negative, perceptions and stereotypes that for far too long have occupied the minds of owners, contractors, lawmakers, the media, and the general public by telling the new, 21st century story of North America’s Building Trades Unions and how we dedicated to being more customer-centric and committed to becoming a value-added partner for owners and contractors all across the continent.