A major labor union is taking issue with House Democrats’ support of a housing bill that it says promotes construction programs with insufficient wage protections.
The bill has a bipartisan coalition of supporters and is on the verge of getting a floor vote in the House of Representatives. But North America’s Building Trades Unions, a large stakeholder that’s tracking the legislation, warned House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ staff on Friday that it is unhappy with the process lawmakers used to put together the latest version of the House’s legislation.
According to internal communications reviewed by NOTUS, the union complained about a lack of collaboration from Democratic staff on the House’s Financial Services Committee. Rep. Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the committee whose office did not respond to a request for comment, is one of the lawmakers spearheading the House legislation, which has been amended twice since it first passed in February.
The union was incensed that some of the federal assistance programs that the legislation outlines as qualifying for construction projects are not sufficiently protected by prevailing wages.
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Prevailing wages are worker-protection laws that ensure local construction projects pay workers wages that match local industry standards.
Labor officials indicated in the communications they were still reviewing the latest version of the legislation released late Thursday, but urged Jeffries’ office to work with the union to change the language before any floor consideration.
“We’re working with supporters of prevailing wage on both sides of the aisle to ensure consistent application of this almost 100-year-old law,” a spokesperson for NABTU told NOTUS.
The spokesperson added the conversation is “fluid” and negotiations are an ongoing “process.”
The spokesperson acknowledged that there are sections of the legislation that don’t meet the union’s standards for prevailing wage coverage.
“When a bill is written, you know, the stakeholders [may] read it and provide feedback that maybe whoever drafted the law didn’t consider,” the spokesperson continued. “This is just normal bill development.”
NABTU did not specifically address which offices it had reached out to with concerns, but the spokesperson said they expect bipartisan support for the changes.
The communications expose a new layer of tension for House Democrats trying to advance the housing package, which lacks Senate and White House support.
“Our office has been working with the sisters and brothers of the building trades to address their concerns with the House and Senate housing bill language,” said a spokesperson for Jeffries in a statement. “Prevailing wage has historically enjoyed bipartisan support in the Congress and it is our hope that House Republicans do the right thing and ensure that this housing legislation is no different.”
The spokesperson added that “prevailing wage requirements are essential” to maintain good-paying jobs but did not specifically address NABTU’s concerns about the package.
A vote on the amended package in the House is expected as soon as Wednesday, and no modifications to the bill’s language have been announced as of Tuesday.
The fight over which housing package should be sent to the president has been defined by tension between the Senate and the House that up to this point have left industry groups and labor unions out of negotiations.
In the Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike are united against the House’s push to pass legislation, given that their bill, which passed the Senate in March, has the president’s backing.
“Republican and Democratic Senators, both on and off the Banking Committee, are not happy with new House Financial Services housing text dropped at close to midnight on Wednesday (and then updated with minor changes late last night),” senior Senate aides representing both parties told NOTUS in a joint statement.
They added that the Senate had not been consulted about any of the “drastic edits” before the House released the bill.
But even within the House, support for the amended bill is still at a fragile stage. Over the weekend, at least one House Democrat endorsed the Senate’s version instead.
“The House should pass the Senate bill instead of weakening it with loopholes & stripping out the requirement for institutional investors to sell homes back to families,” Rep. Ro Khanna of California posted to X Saturday.
On Tuesday, Khanna pushed even further and asked Democratic lawmakers to vote no “unless two things stay intact:”
“No softening of the ban on private equity buying homes, and full restoration of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections,” Khanna posted on X.
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