Welcome to the Political Information Center for the Florida Carpenters Regional Council. Our Council is actively involved in politics on the federal, state and local levels, and we help our individual members to speak in a strong, unified voice. We practice “Carpenter Politics,” an inclusive and non-partisan effort to support candidates who champion the goals of working people, promote needed infrastructure investments, and support fair trade. Here we will post factual, accurate information that you may find helpful when deciding which candidate is best for you to support.

First, please watch this short video message from UBC General President Douglas J. McCarron.

Next, EST James Banks has a brief, important message as well for all members of the Florida Carpenters Regional Council.

The UBC has set up an Election Center, where you can get a list of candidates in your area who stand with us on carpenter core issues. You can also check your registration, pledge to vote, and print the list of Union Carpenter-Friendly candidates to review. https://www.carpenters.org/election-center/

Third, Thanks to the group "Florida Rising," it's now easier to vote early! Click on the link below, then select the county where you’re registered to vote. You'll see early voting locations, and their operating hours, that are closest to you. Click here: https://vote.floridarisingtogether.org/early/

Latest News...

How Trump Will Kill Unions Using Project 2025...You’ve heard much about Project 2025 and how Donald Trump will use it to eliminate unions. But don’t take ANYONE's word for it! Here are the page numbers for each attack. Look it up and see for yourself how Trump plans to destroy unions:

Taxing Your Health Insurance...The Republican Study Committee’s budget proposal for 2025 includes a federal income tax on employer-sponsored health insurance. This means that a union member's health insurance would be taxable income, which either raises that member's taxes OR it reduces his/her benefits. For more information about this proposal: https://www.benefitspro.com/2024/10/18/taxing-employer-sponsored-health-insurance-a-cap-is-part-of-gop-budget-proposal-for-2025/?slreturn=20241021101031

Kamala Harris Knows Carpenters...She’s been to the ITC and met with our leadership. She’s a partner in the fight against tax fraud and she’s been fighting for prevailing wages, apprenticeship programs, and infrastructure investments for years. Kamala isn’t just pro-union. She’s pro-UBC.

Who Protects Carpenter Core Issues?...The UBC pursues essential core political issues for the benefit of all UBC members so that all Brothers and Sisters can enjoy a career that allows them to have an excellent quality of life. How do the two Presidential candidates stack up regarding UBC core Issues? Check it out: https://files.constantcontact.com/376aad7d601/03e43579-5365-42c8-9352-46eed53829cf.png

New Federal Order Protects Union Jobs...The Biden-Harris Administration has signed the "Good Jobs Executive Order" to help protect union workers. As the most pro-union administration in decades, this Order is the latest effort to promote strong union labor standards, union family-sustaining wages, union workplace safety, and the free and fair opportunity to join a union. Click here for the White House Briefing regarding this Executive Order.

Top-10 Reasons Why the UBC Endorsed Kamala Harris...We've heard from Brothers and Sisters, who asked why the UBC endorsed Kamala Harris. We believe it's a good question that deserves an answer. Please click here to review the Top 10 reasons why VP Harris is the UBC’s endorsed candidate.

VP Kamala Harris Visits the UBC's International Training Center...America's Vice President and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris recently spent a good bit of time at the UBC's International Training Center. Check it out: https://vimeo.com/585026072

UBC Activates Election Center...The UBC has set up an Election Center, where members can find candidates who support carpenter issues quickly and accurately. By clicking on this link, you can check your voter registration and see a list of these candidates who stand with us on carpenter core issues. You can even print the list and take it with you to your polling location. Check out election-center.carpenters.org and remember: When Carpenters Vote, Politicians Listen!

IRA Two Years Later Shows Success But Faces Rollback Threat...From the National Journal and reporter Lauren Green…At the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRA has invested $126 billion and created 109,000 jobs. And, a report from the nonpartisan advocacy group E2 shows the landmark climate bill has assisted more than 330 clean-energy and clean-vehicle projects, many in districts of Republicans who opposed it. “If opponents roll back or repeal the IRA, it’s not folks in San Francisco or New York City who are going to get hurt. It’s workers and communities in places like Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and other states,” E2 Executive Director Bob Keefe said. Trump is highly critical of the IRA and is likely to repeal it if he gets a second term. Read the full news release here: https://e2.org/releases/new-report-334-major-clean-energy-clean-vehicle-projects-announced-in-first-two-years-of-ira-126b-in-investments-109k-jobs-across-40-states/?mkt_tok=NTU2LVlFRS05NjkAAAGU96w-zIzv5GUVlWCcI5bGeUz0q1ahJGOEF9iwFU49hYWGu4yJOlQ2t2RIxoJAwOF6TpgiFDvfUomJw5JF1LTTVAKnSYRfzYs_kikrruP8uEJh

VP Kamala Harris Visits the UBC's International Training Center...America's Vice President and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris recently spent a good bit of time at the UBC's International Training Center. Check it out: https://vimeo.com/585026072

Know Your Carpenter Economics...In today's political climate, it's crucial that you understand the concept of Carpenter Economis. Take a look: https://youtu.be/mrHBEAnhy-o

Previous Information Items...

A Private Message from VP Harris to UBC Members...Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris was the guest speaker at a national Sisters-in-the-Brotherhood virtual seminar. VP Harris had a great message for the Sisters, but her words clearly apply to all UBC members. Take a look: https://vimeo.com/998807761

Carpenters Union Endorses Kamala Harris for President...The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC) has endorsed Kamala Harris for President of the United States in the 2024 election. “As Vice President, Kamala Harris played a critical role in the historic legislative achievements of the Biden-Harris Administration,” said Douglas J. McCarron, General President of the UBC. “She led from the front, casting more tie-breaking votes than any Vice President in U.S. history, including efforts to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, and pension security for thousands and thousands of union carpenters and their families.” McCarron continued, “Since announcing her campaign for President, we have seen record-breaking campaign donations, a surge in voter registrations across the country, and an excitement to get out the vote for a candidate who is looking to the future. Her track record is clear. Her platform supporting our essential freedoms is resonating with voters and with so much on the line, our members are fired up to make history this November.” The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners represents 500,000 skilled workers throughout North America. For more information on the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, please visit: www.carpenters.org.

Destroying Unions is Part of Trump and Vance’s Project 2025 Plan. Get Proof Here...A Trump victory means launching the “Project 2025” plan, which details how unions will be destroyed. Here’s a link that explains how Trump will do and how it will affect you personally - the American worker - as well as unions and the labor movement: https://poweratwork.us/project-2025-blogcast. Per Axios: GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) wrote the foreword of an upcoming book from the architect of Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for the next Republican administration. Vance also uses incendiary imagery while praising the book, calling Project 2025 an essential weapon. Everyone with a union card should understand how Project 2025 will destroy unions and blue-collar workers, including the building trades. Thanks to Power At Work (https://poweratwork.us/) - a worker advocacy group that emphasizes the importance of collective action and puts workers and worker power at the center of conversations - for publishing this vital information.

NLRB Restores Three Key Policies to Protect Workers' Choices...The National Labor Relations Board has issued its Fair Choice–Employee Voice Final Rule, restoring three key policies that provide workers with a fair opportunity to decide whether they want union representation in the workplace and a process that respects workers’ choices: the blocking charge policy, voluntary recognition of a union, and construction industry bargaining relationships. This rule grants parity between unions in the construction industry and other unions. Because of the transitory nature of work in the construction industry, construction-worker unions do not have the same protections as non-construction unions. The new rules allow construction-worker unions to more readily establish the same protections as other unions, providing a more stable foundation for collective bargaining. “The rule restores the Board’s prior law, including longstanding principles that ensure a fair process for workers to choose whether they want representation, and provide a better foundation to allow collective bargaining relationships to thrive,” said Chairman Lauren McFerran. Learn more: https://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/news-story/nlrb-issues-fair-choice-employee-voice-final-rule

Will Billionaires Destroy Worker Rights?...If you carry a union card, you are asked to take a moment and watch this video: https://youtu.be/vO1Q3yyXJ7E?si=8ZaZ45O2h4FH1MVB