Mid-Atlantic Pipe Trades Association

10/14/2026

DC WORKER WIN: Construction company Welch will pay $1.7 million for its role in a widespread, illegal worker misclassification scheme.

Welch has staffed projects in DC worth tens of millions of dollars, including the City Ridge development in Ward 3.

We sued Welch, general contractor Whiting-Turner, and three labor brokers in 2024.

Our lawsuit alleged that the five companies cheated hundreds of workers out of wages and benefits by misclassifying them as independent contractors.

Worker misclassification also enables companies to avoid paying taxes into critical safety net programs like unemployment insurance and Social Security — shifting the burden to the rest of us.

This settlement requires Welch to pay $1.7 million in penalties and worker restitution.

It also requires Welch to overhaul its practices to comply with District law.

The company will ensure all workers on its projects in the District are correctly classified through certified payroll reports and subcontractor audits.

We are rooting out misclassification from DC and getting money back for the workers who earned it.

10/11/2026

10/09/2026

A perfect storm of harsh immigration enforcement, aging journeymen and a data center building boom is wreaking havoc on the nation’s supply of skilled trade workers, leaving businesses scrambling for plumbers, electricians, carpenters and others in short supply.

10/08/2026

10/01/2026

Labor testimony urged the council to use its legislative leverage to ensure that the project translates into high-quality, local careers by bringing the developers to the negotiating table before final financial approvals are

09/21/2026

Join us for a community town hall this Thursday to learn more about the proposed Sphere at National Harbor, including how a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) can ensure that any Prince George's County financial support for the project will be both an investment in the facility AND an investment in good jobs for county residents.

WHAT: Worker & Resident Town Hall re: the Sphere at National Harbor
WHEN: 5:30-7:30pm, Thurs., Sept. 24th, 2026
WHERE: 7007 Bock Road, Fort Washington, MD
WHO: County elected officials, building trades workers, community members

To RSVP and learn more, visit:
https://bdcbt.org/advocacy/sphere-town-hall-rsvp/

09/19/2026

IBEW Local 26 President Thomas Myers writes that Virginia’s data center boom is creating high-paying skilled-trades jobs, strengthening communities and giving electricians the upward mobility politicians readily accept for white-collar

09/18/2026

Happy ! Today we honor all the UA members, past and present, who build and maintain our two great nations.

09/17/2026

“The data suggests that it is the workforce investments of unionized firms that can reduce the overall project price tag by improving productivity, staffing reliability and safety outcomes essential to completing projects on time and on budget.

The difference between union and non-union firms in this regard is how they participate in the registered apprenticeship system that trains and attaches new workers to careers in the skilled trades. In the union model that produces most registered construction apprentices, these training and labor supply investments are institutionalized as part of every collective bargaining agreement. In the non-union construct, these investments are voluntary and often jettisoned as a way to cut costs in an environment where the lowest bid wins.”

Plumbers and Steamfitter Local Union 486 Steamfitters UA Local 602 Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5 Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 110 Localunionten UA Local Union 74

As a new study shows, public works projects built by union labor deliver superior workforce supply, productivity and safety outcomes, better controlling overall costs and finishing the work faster.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day! The UA is proud to represent the hardworking men and women who build our nation, protect our communities, and create good union jobs for the future.