The division does business as North America’s Building Trades Unions; for more information on the connections of the BCTD, see the NABTU profile.

North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), also known as the Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), is a department of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) consisting of trade unions in the construction industries. The organization primarily serves as an umbrella organization for 15 major AFL-CIO unions in the United States and Canada. The BCTD has councils in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the Virgin Islands, as well as 11 provinces and territories in Canada. ¹

NABTU has historically supported Democratic candidates by endorsements and donations through its PAC and the PACs of its constituent member unions. But in the 2016 election cycle, NABTU primarily supported Republican candidates despite formally endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and contributing $5,000 to her campaign. ² An email leak later showed that union leadership was divided on the presidential endorsement, with some affiliate union leaders supporting Republican candidate Donald Trump. ^{3 4}

In October 2020, NABTU officially endorsed Joe Biden for president, arguing that the Trump administration had conducted a “war” on the middle class. ⁵ In April 2024, NABTU and its president Sean McGarvey once again endorsed Joe Biden for president, saying the union would not be “wast[ing] a lot of time” persuading its members who supported Donald Trump or the American public at large, because “we’re not gonna change their minds.” ⁶ When it was announced that Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee for president with Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate, NABTU “proudly” endorsed the ticket. ⁷

History

In 1903, the largest American building trades unions formed the Structural Building Trade Alliance as an organization to coordinate regional regulations between local unions to prevent competition. In 1908, the Alliance merged with the American Federation of Labor (AFL), one of the largest labor unions in America and one of the predecessors of the AFL-CIO union federation, to become the Building and Construction Trades Department. The BCTD would serve as a centralized arbitrator for conflicts between AFL member unions. ⁸

The BCTD was a non-political organization until the 1930s when the Great Depression decimated the construction industry. To gain government support, the BCTD aggressively lobbied for the 1935 Wagner Act which gave a federally backed guarantee of compulsory monopoly bargaining to labor unions, gave federal protections to union activities, and granted unions far more leeway in influencing government policy. The BCTD, also known as North America’s Building Trades Unions or NABTU, has engaged in political candidate funding and lobbying ever since, as of 2025. ⁸

Member Unions

As of 2025, the Building and Construction Trades Department/NABTU consisted of 15 affiliate unions. ⁹

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
• Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
• International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC)
• International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC)
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
• Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association (OPCMIA)
• International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)
• United Association – Union of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders and Service Techs (UA)
• United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers (Union Roofers)
• International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (Boilermakers)
• International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (Insulators)
• International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (IW)
• The Canadian Building Trades Unions (CBTU)

The affiliated unions except the Teamsters are all members of the AFL-CIO. The unions and their members are heavy donors to the Democratic Party. ^1011121314 Many of the unions and their local affiliates have been subject to corruption investigations over the previous decades, including the IBEW ¹⁵ and IBT. ^{16 17}

As of 2024, NABTU was said to represent over three million members across its subsidiary unions. ¹⁸

Leadership

In 1981, Sean McGarvey began working in the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, a NABTU member union. He climbed the union’s ranks until he was elected secretary-treasurer of NABTU in 2005. In 2012, he was elected the organization’s president. ¹⁹

As of 2025, McGarvey was a member of many energy-industry labor and advisory boards: the American Petroleum Institute, Ullico, AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, Tradesfutures, the American Chemistry Council, and the Southern Company-NABTU LMCC. McGarvey’s board positions included CMRAVE/Helmets to Hardhats, the CPWR’s Center for Construction Research and Training, the National Coordinating Committee for Multi-Employer Plans (NCCMP), and the Diabetes Research Institute.  ²⁰

Grants

In 2017, the Building and Construction Trades Department disbursed $270,000 to charitable nonprofits, most of which promote construction employment. ²¹ The BCTD’s largest donation was for $150,000 to the National Alliance for Fair Contracting, an advocacy group for union set-asides in construction projects. The BTCD also gave $20,000 to the Foundation for Fair Contracting. Both organizations advocate for the federal enforcement of so-called “prevailing wage” laws to force local governments to pay union-rate wages to contractor employees rather than allow competitive bidding. Two affiliate unions of the BCTD sit on the National Alliance’s board: the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the International Union of Operating Engineers. ²²

Also in 2017, the BCTD donated to numerous organizations with which BCTD president Sean McGarvey has personal connections. The BCTD gave $10,000 to the President and Fellows of Harvard University, of which McGarvey is an alumnus. The BCTD gave $10,000 to the Center for Military Recruitment, Assessment, and Veterans Employment, which recruits military veterans into union labor. McGarvey was a member of the board of the organization’s Helmets to Hardhats program at the time, and still was as of 2025.  ²³ The BCTD gave $10,000 to the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, of which McGarvey was also a board member. ¹⁹²¹

The BCTD donated $20,000 to the American Ireland Fund, a charity which utilizes a network of Irish individuals internationally²⁴ to support causes like food distribution and elderly care. ²⁵ In the 2020 election cycle, the BCTD’s PAC would give $2,500 to the Irish American Democrats. ²⁶ McGarvey, who is of Irish ancestry, was put in Irish America’s Hall of Fame in 2020 for his promotion of diversity in the building trades. ²⁷

The BCTD also makes an annual donation of $20,000 to Southern Company – North America’s Building Trades Union, a 501(c)(6) trade league partnership between the BCTD and Southern Company, an American gas and electric utilities holding company. ²⁸ McGarvey was a member of Southern Company’s board. ¹⁹

In addition, in 2017, the BCTD gave $5,000 to the Peggy Browning Fund, which encourages law students to practice labor law, and $5,000 to the National Association of Minority Contractors-Washington DC Metropolitan Area Contractors (NAMC-WMAC). ²¹

Political Contributions

The Building and Construction Trades Department contributes to political campaigns through its PAC, the North America’s Building Trades Unions Political Education Fund. ²⁸ Historically, the PAC has given between $190,000 and just over $600,000 to primarily Democratic Candidates each election cycle. However, in 2016 and 2018, the PAC favored Republicans. ²⁹

In the 2020 election cycle, the PAC gave over $190,000 to Democrats and nearly $160,000 to Republicans. Candidates supported included 102 House of Representatives candidates and nine Senate candidates. ³⁰ The PAC has also given tens of thousands of dollars to other PACs. PAC donations include $1,000 to the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and $2,500 to Irish American Democrats. ²⁶

The PAC did not donate to any 2020 presidential candidate, but in 2016 it gave $5,000 to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 presidential campaign despite giving 78 percent of its funds to Republican candidates during that same cycle. ² It also formally endorsed Clinton despite an email leak later showing that union leadership were divided on the presidential endorsement, with some affiliate union leaders supporting Republican candidate Donald Trump. ³¹

While the PAC receives most of its funding from the BCTD, a minority of funds comes from its labor union affiliates. In the 2020 election cycle, the PAC received $5,000 from the Painters & Allied Trades Union, $2,500 from the Laborers’ Union, $2,250 from the Operating Engineers Union, and $1,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. ²⁶

In the 2022 election cycle, the PAC gave about $109,000 to Democrats and nearly $100,000 to Republicans. It donated to the campaigns of 64 candidates running for House of Representatives candidates and towards the campaigns of 16 Senate candidates. All of its Senate recipients were Democrats; among them were then-Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and John Fetterman (D-PA). Its House Republican recipients included Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), and then-Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI). ³² Its PAC recipients included Congressional Black Caucus PAC ($5,000), Fight For Our Democracy PAC ($5,000), Irish American Democrats ($5,000), and Rev Up PAC ($5,000). ³³

In the 2024 cycle, the PAC gave $177,500 to Democrats and $73,500 to Republicans. The only Republican candidate for Senate to receive funds was Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK); Senate Democratic recipients included Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) as well as then-Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Of the total amount given to House of Representatives races, 66 percent went to Democrats while 34 percent went to Republicans. ³⁴ Left-of-center PACs it gave to that year included House Majority PAC, Future Forward USA, Congressional Black Caucus PAC, and Committee for Hispanic Causes-BOLD PAC. Right-of-center PACs it gave to included Republican Main Street Partnership, Republican Governance Group, and Bringing America Together. ³⁵

First Trump Administration

Cooperation

In January 2017, shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, NABTU president Sean McGarvey and a group of prominent union leaders met with President Trump, then-Vice President Mike Pence, and other administration advisors. In a press conference afterward, McGarvey described the encounter as “probably the most incredible meeting of our entire careers.” McGarvey praised President Trump’s plans on trade, infrastructure, energy policy, and the construction industry, and thanked Trump for the “respect” shown to America’s labor unions, especially since President Barack Obama had never held a comparable meeting with labor leaders. McGarvey promised that the unions present at the meeting would use their power to support Trump’s policy goals in the future, even declaring, “we have a common bond with the president. We come from the same industry.” ³⁶³⁷

In February 2019, McGarvey was appointed to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’s Workforce Policy Advisory Board, a task force formed via an executive order to establish a national labor policy direction. ³⁸

Apprenticeship Regulations

In June 2017, President Trump issued an executive order easing the regulatory burden on apprenticeships to open up job training opportunities in new industries. The order removed the union-level wage mandate which forced companies to pay apprentices at localized “prevailing” wage rates. ³⁸

Privately, McGarvey made a deal with then-Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to exclude NABTU’s apprenticeship program from the new deregulations. A union official told Acosta that the deregulation would allow NABTU competitors to undercut the union-rate wages offered by NABTU’s existing apprenticeship programs, thereby giving the competition an edge in lowering costs and securing contract bids. After the exclusion deal was made, McGarvey even joined Trump’s newly created labor board to formulate new apprenticeship rules and ensure the construction industry’s protection. ³

In January 2019, Mick Mulvaney became Acting White House Chief of Staff. Known as an opponent of labor unions and supporter of deregulation, Mulvaney forced Acosta’s chief of staff to resign after allegations of mistreating subordinates. In July, Acosta resigned a few days after Mulvaney advised President Trump to fire Acosta due to the plea deal he had struck with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2008 while a federal prosecutor. Before leaving office, Acosta advised Ivanka Trump to encourage President Trump to maintain the apprentice deregulation exclusion policy for the construction industry. ³

In June, the Labor Department issued a proposed rule which would entrench its apprenticeship deregulations with no industry or organization exclusions. The announcement was extremely unpopular among NABTU leadership; Politico reported that the Trump administration and BCTD were “on the brink of war” and that Trump alienating midwestern union voters could cost him the 2020 presidential election. ³

In November 2019, McGarvey wrote an op-ed in RealClearPolicy criticizing the deregulations, arguing that they constituted “an obvious step backward” for not providing explicit protections against discrimination, exploitive wages, or standardized oversight.³⁹

2020 Elections

Despite the conflict over apprenticeship regulations, the BCTD has been broadly supportive of the Trump administration in 2020. In January, McGarvey attended a Trump press conference where the president announced the One Federal Decision policy, an attempt to systematically streamline the federal approval process on construction and infrastructure projects. McGarvey voiced his endorsement of the plan at the conference. Later, Trump criticized the alleged corruption that allowed Hunter Biden to attain high-paying no-work jobs in the construction industry, and Trump asked McGarvey if he would like to have Hunter Biden’s job. McGarvey replied, “Uh, I’m not sure, Mr. President.” ⁴⁰

On January 14, 2020, Trump announced the creation of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Group, a collection of some of the largest companies and labor unions which form an advisory council to the president to recommend policies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. McGarvey was chosen as the representative of the BCTD as one of the Construction/Labor/Workforce member organizations. ⁴¹

While NABTU was enthusiastic about Trump’s proposed infrastructure bill and lobbied him to include support for multi-employer pension funds in the first COVID-19 relief bill, it became dissatisfied when Trump backed off on these actions. ¹⁸

In October 2020, NABTU officially endorsed the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), arguing that the Trump administration had broken its promises to the labor movement and had conducted a “war” on the middle class. On the other hand, it argued Biden would bring “responsible, forward-thinking White House leadership that reflects American shared values and delivers on its promises.” It insinuated that the Trump administration was racist and authoritarian, while Biden “values America’s diverse middle class, and the union workers who built and preserve it” and that a Biden administration would ensure all Americans are respected “no matter their background,” that “oppression and racism” would not be “tolerated,” and that the “norms of a democratic government” would be followed. ⁵

On January 7, 2021, NABTU denounced the preceding day’s riots at the U.S. Capitol and called for President Trump to resign due to the “insurrection.” ¹⁸ In an official statement, NABTU demanded that Trump transfer power “per the Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947,” urging the executive Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to suspend Trump’s powers should he refuse. It additionally said Cabinet members that declined to do this should be branded “coconspirators,” called on U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and the “twelve other U.S. Senators and the 140 House members” that objected to the Electoral College certification to resign, and called for a “bipartisan commission” to probe the “planners, funders, and coordinators of this attempted coup and refer them to prosecution by the U.S. Justice Department.” It described the riot as “one of the worst domestic episodes of our country’s history,” perpetuated by “tyrants and thugs” against “democracy.” ^{42 43}

Second Trump Administration

2024 Elections

In April 2024, NABTU endorsed then-President Joe Biden’s reelection in what was said to be one of the earliest endorsements ever made by the union. Union president Sean McGarvey said it was “almost like the perfect leader was sent at the perfect time for the working people” in an interview accompanying the announcement. NABTU also said it was launching an “eight-figure” program to organize its members in swing states on behalf of Biden’s reelection. ¹⁸

President Biden attended the NABTU conference on April 24 to receive the endorsement and to deliver a speech opposing then-former President Donald Trump, lambasting him for his attempts to find an alternative cure to COVID-19. He also asked union members to “think about the guys you grew up with who you’d like to get into a corner and just give them a straight left,” adding, “I’m not suggesting we hit the president.” NABTU leadership endorsed and invited Biden to symbolize their “stark rebuff of Trump.” ¹⁸

During a television appearance following the announcement, McGarvey added that the union would not be “wast[ing] a lot of time” persuading Trump-supporting members or the American public at large, because “we’re not gonna change their minds.” Instead, he said the union would be focusing on the 10 to 15 percent of its members who had independent views and could be persuaded to vote for then-President Biden. McGarvey specifically lauded Biden administration-backed infrastructure bills, crediting them with “creating the biggest infrastructure boom this country has ever seen,” and for allegedly saving union pensions. By contrast, McGarvey claimed then-former President Trump betrayed the labor movement and his “worker-centered agenda” by failing to deliver on his promise to save pensions and instead “align[ing] himself with his billionaire buddies to enact tax cuts that raised costs for our members.” ⁶

McGarvey also called Trump “one of the worst clients we ever had, because he rarely kept his word and it was a fight to get him to pay us back.” ¹⁸

That month, NABTU released an official Biden endorsement video narrated by McGarvey, celebrating the Biden administration for what McGarvey claimed were its achievements in reshoring manufacturing jobs and protecting the American middle class. ⁴⁴

NABTU continued to pay its respects to Biden after he dropped out of the race and endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris in his stead. It released an official statement on the day he announced his withdrawal, saying no American president had ever shown its “members and their families more respect” than Biden, and that his administration’s polices had a “laser-like focus” on “rebuilding” the middle class, improving workers’ wages, and rebuilding America’s “infrastructure and manufacturing sector.” Its press release cited “helping us recover from a global pandemic” and “combating climate change” as evidence of the Biden administration’s “pro-worker, pro-union” record. It also celebrated the administration’s “unprecedented regulatory actions” such as “strengthening Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections.” Finally, it thanked Biden for his “tireless, selfless efforts and courage” in safeguarding national values, saying he “not only saved democracy once,” but “twice.” ^{45 46}

On August 6, the same day it was announced that Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) as her running mate, NABTU “proudly” endorsed the ticket. It described Walz as a “longtime friend of the Building Trades” and said he had “long advocated for the use of project labor agreements and preached the benefits of middle-class, family-sustaining union jobs.” It said Harris and Walz, “like President Biden,” were ardent supporters of “fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to collective bargaining.” ^{47 7}

Beginning of the Second Trump Administration

In February 2025, NABTU voiced its support for the confirmation of Howard Lutnick as U.S. Commerce Secretary, citing his track record for driving growth in American industries. ⁴⁸

In March 2025, President Donald Trump enacted an executive order ending the ability of many federal government agencies to engage in collective bargaining with federal unions. The Trump administration’s official statement said, “certain federal unions have declared war on President Trump’s agenda,” which it described as “protecting America’s national security.” Agencies affected included the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), most of the Department of Justice (DOJ), several agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of State, USAID, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Treasury, and many others. ^{49 50} In response to this action, NABTU issued a statement announcing its intention to “fight this head-on” with the “entire labor movement,” writing: “this executive order is an unprecedented assault on worker freedom and a direct attack on those fundamental rights.” ⁵¹

In May 2025, NABTU won a preliminary injunction in federal court against the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. General Services Administration for issuing orders to remove project labor agreement (PLA) clauses setting collective bargaining conditions between contractors and trade unions to cover terms and conditions for all builders on a construction project, in their new large-scale projects. NABTU aimed to uphold the contents of the “Project Labor Agreement” executive order passed by President Biden in 2022, which required federal construction projects to include PLA language to ensure set wage rates and preconditional labor rules to prevent site lockouts and strikes. ^{52 53 54}

Also in May 2025, NABTU issued a statement formally opposing the “Big Beautiful Bill” proposed by House Republicans, arguing that it would eliminate “hundreds of thousands of energy jobs for our members” which would “foot the bill for billionaire tax cuts.” It said it would mobilize its allies in Congress against it. ⁵⁵

In June 2025, the Trump administration decided to preserve the PLA language from the Biden-era mandate. NABTU commended the Trump administration for its choice, saying it was “a commonsense move that strengthens taxpayer return on investment and delivers American infrastructure more effectively and safely.” ⁵⁶

That same month, NABTU condemned the decision of the Trump administration’s Department of Energy to eliminate 24 awards from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), which it said would cut over $3 billion worth of energy projects. ⁵⁷

Housing Policy

In March 2024, NABTU president Sean McGarvey issued a statement supporting affiliated union Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York & Vicinity (NYC BCTC) and its president Gary LaBarbera for attempting to create a wage standard for affordable housing, writing, “A good housing policy must require that workers constructing housing can earn the means to afford to live in the units they build.” It opposed “average site-wide wage requirements,” considering them tactics of wage suppression and exploitative to workers. NABTU noted that it builds “thousands of units” in New York City through its pension dollars and the Housing Investment Trust, and argued that all developers that receive tax breaks must be transparent about their wage standards. ⁵⁸

In April 2025, NYC BCTC launched a campaign called “Housing for Us” to lobby President Donald Trump to redistribute the proceeds from a sale of two federal housing programs, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, to housing loan programs for construction workers. Trump began dissolving the programs during his first term, and BCTC urged him to finish the sale. The effort was supported by Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY). ⁵⁹

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43. “NABTU Calls for President Trump to Step Down Immediately.” Library of Congress – Archive. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0035885/.
44. “NABTU Endorses Joe Biden for President of the United States.” NABTU, April 24, 2024. Accessed June 20, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3G5Yx-0BKM.
45. “NABTU Statement on Biden Announcement.” NABTU, July 21, 2024. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://nabtu.org/press_releases/nabtu-statement-on-biden-announcement/.
46. Miller, Zeke; Long, Colleen; Superville, Darlene. “Biden drops out of 2024 race after disastrous debate inflamed age concerns. VP Harris gets his nod.” APNews, July 21, 2024. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6.
47. Kim, Seung Min. “Kamala Harris is now Democratic presidential nominee, will face off against Donald.” APNews, August 6, 2024. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/harris-democratic-presidential-nomination-eb43b6b346cc644b2d195315cb2bfb20.
48. “NABTU Statement Urging Confirmation of Howard Lutnick for U.S. Commerce Secretary.” NABTU, February 11, 2025. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://nabtu.org/press_releases/nabtu-statement-urging-confirmation-of-howard-lutnick-for-commerce-secretary/.
49. “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Exempts Agencies with National Security Missions from Federal Collective Bargaining Requirements.” The White House, March 27, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-exempts-agencies-with-national-security-missions-from-federal-collective-bargaining-requirements/.
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51. “NABTU STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ATTACK ON COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.” NABTU, March 28, 2025. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://nabtu.org/press_releases/nabtu-statement-on-trump-administration-attack-on-collective-bargaining/.
52. Yoders, Jeff. “NABTU Secures Injunction in Federal Court to Uphold Biden-era PLA Mandate for Federal Projects.” Engineering News-Record, May 20, 2025. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.enr.com/articles/60775-nabtu-secures-injunction-in-federal-court-to-uphold-biden-era-pla-mandate-for-federal-projects.
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56. “NABTU Applauds Trump Administration Decision to Reinforce PLA Executive Order.” NABTU, June 18, 2025. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://nabtu.org/press_releases/nabtu-applauds-trump-administration-decision-to-reinforce-pla-executive-order/.
57. “NABTU Statement on DOE’s Termination of Critical Energy Projects.” NABTU, June 3, 2025. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://nabtu.org/press_releases/nabtu-statement-on-doe-termination-of-critical-energy-projects/.
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