Letter Opposing Legislation That Would Undermine Apprenticeships

August 5, 2024

I am reaching out on behalf of the AFL-CIO regarding H.R. 7887, the Allowing Contractors to Choose Employees for Select Skills (ACCESS) Act. Several of our affiliates have raised significant concerns regarding this legislation. As North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) has urged, we ask you to vote NO on suspending the rules to pass H.R. 7887.

The bill will make it difficult for federal contracting officers to include apprenticeship utilization requirements (or any education requirement) in their solicitations for federal contracts for construction and services. Maintenance and construction projects - as complex as a nuclear site cleanup - would be discouraged from seeking out a highly skilled workforce to perform the work. This bill would clear a path for using improperly or insufficiently trained workers on projects. We should encourage not discourage apprenticeships and training and skills development with taxpayer dollars, not discouraging it at the expense of quality work completion or at the expense of safety for both workers and the public.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Jody Calemine