Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council (MBCTC) President Dan Bukiewicz joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed a childcare pilot program launched in Milwaukee that has encouraged more people to go into the trades, especially women.
The MBCTC partnered with the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) to secure grant funding for the program and secured six sites near the downtown Milwaukee area that are Project Labor Agreements, Bukiewicz said. He explained how a lack of childcare can be a major barrier to entering the trades, and providing quality daycare can be a way of ensuring industries maintain a regular supply of workers.
Bukiewicz then talked about the need to improve diversity within the trades and the MBCTC’s efforts to recruit women, hispanics and African Americans.
He also spoke about Wisconsin Act 10, which has made it harder to find quality workers in the public sector. The law requires public employees to pay more for pensions and healthcare, and limits their ability to collectively bargain.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.