Alert
A bill is currently in the Senate, LB 447, that imposes burdensome apprenticeship requirements on redevelopment projects under the Community Development Act. This legislation is a direct threat to nonunion contractors, restricting your ability to compete and driving up costs for taxpayers.
The bill imposes a requirement that at 15% of total labor hours be performed by registered apprentices. These requirements favor union-affiliated programs, shutting out nonunion contractors who train workers through other high-quality craft training programs. It also requires contractors employing four or more workers to use at least one registered apprentice, and requires all contractors to abide by union apprentice-to-journeyman ratios. Additionally, it imposes prevailing wage on these projects.
This legislation will only make it harder for merit shop contractors to compete, especially small businesses, reducing competition resulting in fewer bidders and higher taxpayer costs and increasing unnecessary red tape. All while doing nothing to actually encourage workforce development, instead trading an inclusive and industry-wide approach to labor needs for political favoritism and discriminatory governance.
Make your voice heard and click below to contact your Senator today! Tell them to oppose LB 447 and protect Nebraska construction workers and taxpayers.
Message
As a constituent and member of Nebraska’s construction industry, I ask that you oppose LB 447, a bill that imposes burdensome apprenticeship requirements on redevelopment projects under the Community Development Act. This legislation is a direct threat to nonunion contractors, restricting our ability to compete and driving up costs for taxpayers by imposing unreasonable and unnecessary requirements.
The bill imposes a requirement that at 15% of total labor hours be performed by registered apprentices. These requirements favor union-affiliated programs, shutting out nonunion contractors who train workers through other high-quality craft training programs or don’t have access to registered programs. It also requires all contractors to abide by arbitrary union apprentice-to-journeyman ratios that will force contractors to restructure their workforce and lead to significant inefficiencies on both these redevelopment projects and other work being done by the same contractors.
This legislation will only make it harder for merit shop contractors like me to compete, especially small businesses, reducing competition resulting in fewer bidders and higher taxpayer costs and increasing unnecessary red tape. All while doing nothing to actually encourage workforce development, instead trading an inclusive and industry-wide approach to labor needs for political favoritism and discriminatory governance.
The construction industry faces a labor shortage of 439,000 workers nationally in 2025. Legislation like this doesn’t address that shortage or provide actual solutions. It instead further limits the pool of available labor based on nothing but union membership. Meanwhile the taxpayers are left with the higher costs and less projects.
I strongly urge you to oppose LB 447 and protect Nebraska construction workers and taxpayers.