More than 50 ABC members and staff met at the Wisconsin State Capitol to talk about the benefits of open competition in commercial construction.
The day began with a behind the scenes tour of the Capitol Building, including lengthy stairs leading all the way up to the top of the dome. While the stairs required some effort, participants enjoyed some rarely seen views of the historic building, and the City of Madison.
From there, attendees joined Assembly Speaker Robin Voss in the Assembly Chambers, followed by a morning training led by communications expert Laurie Richards.
Richards talked about the importance of telling your story in a clear and meaningful way. Members were coached to choose one or two significant ideas, and then find a way to clearly summarize those ideas, in preparation for legislative visits. Everyone practiced together, and fine tuned their messages.
A panel of legislative experts followed Richards’ presentation. Melanie Pfeiffenberger, Senior Director of Political Affairs at ABC National talked about the federal landscape, and explained both current threats and benefits to the industry as a result of recent elections. Eric Searing from the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty discussed legal challenges in the construction industry, and from Michigan’s ABC office talked about their victories related to apprenticeship ratios and open shop policies.
ABC of Wisconsin’s John Schulze explained some key issues in Wisconsin’s legislature, including an effort to allow trainers to supervise two apprentices (currently only a 1:1 ratio is permitted).
Then, members met with their Senators and Representatives, and shared their personal stories. They explained why they chose a merit shop approach to work, and the benefits of their business approach.
At the end of the day, we celebrated with a reception at Cooper’s Tavern, a restaurant across from the State Capitol. Members agreed the day was time well-spent, and asked for more opportunities to advocate for the merit shop industry.
