U.S. construction trade union boss Sean McGarvey pulled no punches during his keynote address at the recent Ontario Building Trades conference in Windsor, Ont., offering blistering criticisms of President Donald Trump’s threats to democratic institutions, imposition of tariffs and cancellation of major clean-energy projects.
McGarvey, trained as a glazier, a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and president of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) since 2012, called Washington a “mess” during his address to delegates.
“Our movement has weathered many barriers, depressions, wars, recessions and deregulation, and pandemics,” said McGarvey. Then, referring to lyrics of the Star-Spangled Banner, he added, “To be honest with you, for the first time in my life, when I get up in the morning, I hope to see the flag is still there.”
McGarvey told delegates North America’s building trades are at a “defining moment” as they deal with radical policy shifts.
Over the past year the NABTU has criticized the Trump administration on its threats to collective bargaining and the cancellation of clean energy projects but praised administration support for project labour agreements (PLAs).
Upon Trump’s inauguration in January, NABTU struck a conciliatory tone, stating, “NABTU, along with our three-million members who represent the heart of America’s workforce, is eager to work alongside President Trump to advance policies that empower our hardworking men and women.”
McGarvey said in Windsor that trade unionists must attempt to understand what’s happening south of the border.
“I won’t sugarcoat it,” he said. “Washington’s a mess. Our country’s a mess right now. Shutdowns, cancelled projects and political brinkmanship have thrown billions of investment, putting real jobs and paycheques in the crossfire. And those ripple across the border, they affect supply chains, project timelines and economic confidence here too, with ungodly, unthoughtful tariffs imposed upon Canada.”
The building trades in Canada must work in unified fashion, McGarvey said, as they advocate for favourable treatment in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s upcoming first budget and in Bill C-5, which includes provisions to fast-track nation-building projects.
“We cannot afford to be fragmented in our efforts,” he said. “When the building trades work together and speak with one voice and stand shoulder to shoulder, we are unstoppable.
“With Ottawa’s next budget just weeks away, every council, every local, every member, every ally in government and industry, every force in this room matters. It matters significantly.”
Bill C-5 can unleash a wave of nation-building, McGarvey said, but “only if it’s done right.
“That means tying federal dollars to prevailing wages, registered apprenticeships, project labour agreements and enforceable labour standards. If taxpayer money is on the table, those jobs should go to Canadian workers, especially our skilled, trained, unionized members, not low-road contractors chasing the cheapest bid.”
Ontario’s building trades have an opportunity to show the world what stability, foresight and collaboration between government, labour and industry can accomplish, said the U.S. union leader. But success depends on focused efforts to communicate the benefits of union membership, he said.
“If we don’t tell our story, somebody else will, and they’ll get it wrong,” said McGarvey. “We know this is happening, and has been happening, for quite some time. It’ll be Tiktok, an Instagram clip, a sound bite, a talking point that distorts what we do and who we are.
“We can’t allow that. It’s on us to get the word out about our value, our work and our impact.”
Thanking McGarvey, Ontario Building Trades business manager Marc Arsenault stressed the theme of unity across the continent.
In Ontario, he said, “We do this well in no small part from the leadership of the North American Building Trade Unions.”
