Jim Ascione, Financial Secretary of Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the controversy surrounding the ability of contractors to buyout apprentices during their apprenticeship program.
Ascione also works as the Financial Secretary of Operating Engineers Local 542.
In Delaware, state law mandates that for a contractor to work on publicly funded jobs, they must be affiliated with a registered apprenticeship program or you have the ability to buy apprentices out of the program. This creates a problem for building trades unions, as non-union contractors have used the buyout loophole to buyout apprentices in order to be able to bid on publicly funded projects, he explained.
Ascione discussed several loopholes in the state’s Prevailing Wages legislation. He said the building trades will lead the charge to create and pass the Delaware PRO Act - a state-level version of the PRO Act.
Finally, he discussed recent developments within the state regarding wind farms and issues surrounding Port Wilmington’s redevelopment plans.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics: