Legislative Issues
Water Infrastructure
Our nation’s aging water systems—the pipes, treatment plants and storage tanks that deliver safe, clean water to our homes and businesses—are reaching a tipping point and must be replaced. Investments in water infrastructure will promote American innovation and competitiveness, create thousands of jobs in construction and manufacturing sectors, and ensure our communities have access to safe and reliable water systems. OLD PIPES NEED NEW FUNDING Many U.S. cities rely on...
Veterans
The UA is extremely proud of the men and women of the armed forces. To that end, in conjunction with the U.S. military, we offer the Veterans in Piping (VIP) program, which provides veterans with transitional assistance and accelerated welding training in preparation for promising careers in the piping industry. This program, which began at Fort Lewis in Washington State, has since been expanded to Camp Pendleton in California, where we are on our seventh class, and to Fort McCoy...
So-Called Right to Work
So-called Right to Work laws pose a serious threat to worker rights and should be strongly protested by anyone who believes in the dignity of workers and working families. Portrayed as something that is supposed to give workers free choice, these laws are really just disguised attacks on union resources. By allowing indiivduals to reap the benefits of union-negotiated contracts without paying dues, they limit organized labor's ability to help all working families. Labor unions...
Project Labor Agreements
For nearly a century, private and public construction users have turned to Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) to ensure safe, timely, cost-effective completion of construction projects. Among other benefits, PLAs provide such users with a unique and exceptionally reliable supply of skilled, trained manpower, harmonize the terms and conditions of employment for all contractors and trades, and safeguard against costly disruptions and delays. These are some of the reasons why Toyota -- one...
Jobs
Creating jobs is and always will be our top priority. There are many types of policies and programs that can be used by federal, state and local government to boost employment, from re-building our nation’s crumbling water infrastructure to providing incentives for ”green” building programs, alternative energy development and energy-efficiency retrofits. The Department has established relationships with key government agencies and officials and works closely with them to identify and advance...
Fire Sprinkler Tax Code
The UA supports updating the tax code for fire sprinkler systems by decreasing the depreciation schedule for residential and commercial buildings. Modernizing the code will guarantee the safety of America’s families, benefit property owners while creating substantial numbers of construction and manufacturing jobs for our members. THE FIRE SPRINKLER INCENTIVE ACT With the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act (FSIA), H.R. 1481, reintroduced in the 115th Congress, the UA is actively...
Energy
At the UA, we believe that an economy built to last must make the most of America’s energy resources. It must be fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources that strengthen our economy, promote steady job growth, and make us more secure and less dependent on foreign oil. That is why we support an “all of the above” approach to developing new sources of energy, expanding oil and gas production, boosting renewable power generation, supporting growth in nuclear power, and...
Davis-Bacon Protection / Prevailing Wage
The Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage Act was passed in 1931 on the common-sense theory that government should not undermine wages and standards in American communities when it purchases construction services for itself. In short, it ensures that federal contractors pay a fair wage for an honest day’s work. Nevertheless, some of our opponents continue to attack this law at a national level at the behest of low-road corporations who would rather pad their profits than pay decent wages and benefits....