HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season full of peace, joy, and good health. Thank you for being valued members of the association and for trusting us to support your goals. Together, we look forward to an exciting and productive year to come.

With appreciation,

Your BTEA Northeast Team

In Memoriam: Frank Norton

We mourn the passing of retired BTEA Board Member Frank Norton. Frank was a strategic, thoughtful, and highly accomplished advocate for our association and for the industry as a whole. He was a remarkable leader, trustee, and friend who will be deeply missed.

Obituary

Thank you, Shawn Nehiley

General Vice President of the International Ironworkers and President of the Ironworkers District Council of New England, Shawn Nehiley, has announced his retirement effective at the end of 2025. Shawn has been a model of commitment to collaborative labor-management relations and has played a pivotal role in advancing the Ironworkers’ success.

He was also the first to support Recovery Week and has consistently gone above and beyond to help brothers and sisters across the trades find wellness. We extend our sincere gratitude and wish him all the best in his retirement.

Congratulations, Sunrise Erectors!

BTEA Member, Sunrise Erectors, Inc. was recently awarded 2nd Place for Large Companies on the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work list! An incredible accomplishment and well deserved.

LIUNA In The Know

LIUNA recently shared its latest video update. Production assistants on some of your favorite shows are organizing with the help of LIUNA local 724. "When workers come together and fight for dignity and respect, we win — whether it's on a construction site or a film set." said LIUNA General President Brent Booker.

Click to Watch

In Memoriam, Charles "Chuck" Raso

BTEA mourns the passing of Charles “Chuck” Raso, President of Local 3 Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen MA-ME-NH-RI, a role he held since 1981, and a proud member of the union since 1964. Chuck’s decades of leadership and unwavering dedication leave a lasting impact on the industry and all who worked alongside him.

Obituary

2026 Save the Dates

January 5


Registration for BTEA's Winter & Spring Trainings Opens

April 27 - May 1


6th Annual BTEA Building Trades Recovery Week

July 14


4th Annual BTEA Golf Tournament to benefit the TJG Fund

Construction Costs Climb for 5th Straight Month

Construction input prices ticked up 0.2% in September, driven largely by key materials such as iron and steel. This marks a 3.8% rise in input costs as compared to one year prior with the pattern contributing to the unpredictability of the market for contractors' procurement and production efforts.

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Trump Cancels Biden-Era Support for Zero Emissions Buildings

In 2024, the DOE published a definition of a zero-emissions building, requiring such buildings to be energy-efficient, emit net-zero greenhouse gases, and use only clean energy. But the Trump administration is now “removing support” for the definition, saying it’s not a regulatory standard, isn’t legally binding, and is driven by goals that are “not consistent with current administration priorities.” The DOE also said it recommends state and local agencies, as well as standard-setting organizations, stop using the definition.

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Cambridge Ranks Last Among 500 US Cities for Project Permitting Red Tape

In a permitting efficiency study of 500 U.S. cities, Cambridge ranked last on permit speed, transparency and digital accessibility. MA overall performed poorly with 14 cities ranked, six of which landed in the bottom 44.

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PLA Tracking:

• DCAMM has shared that the upcoming Framingham Women’s Correctional Facility Project will be built under a PLA. This project is estimated to cost $250M. 

Matthews Arena Set for Complete Redevelopment

The BPDA approved the redevelopment and the zoning commission will next vote on the school’s larger Institutional Master Plan (IMP) on Dec. 10, a necessary hurdle for the arena project to move forward.

As part of the larger IMP, the school and the city agreed to a PILOT (Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes) plan. The IMP features $62.5M in community benefits during the next 10 years, $16.5M in community benefits and $6M in linkage associated with the arena, as well as, more than $49M in cash and community benefits during the next five years.

Beacon Hill Clears Hurdle for Redevelopment of Weymouth Air Force Base

A decades-in-the-making project to transform a mostly vacant former military base into a mixed-use development is poised for a major step forward. Senator O’Connor said the language tacked onto the Legislature’s fiscal year 2025 closeout budget sent to Governor Healey would formally “combine all those properties” and bring the project into alignment with the most recent zoning plan approved by the three towns it includes.

Some construction has taken place, but local experts expect that a full project could provide up to 6K housing units and millions of SF of commercial space. 

Formal Development Proposals Sought for Woburn Transit Hub

Massport, MA DOT and the MBTA are seeking proposals for the Anderson Regional Transportation Center property by March 24. The first phase would span a 6-acre section at the northern end of the site and the agencies said they will consider mixed-used projects, including retail and service amenities. The selection of a developer is subject to approval from all three agencies’ boards of directors.

National Development Proposes 950K SF for Ex-Intel Development

A 149-acre site identified by MassEcon as one of the state’s highest-potential development opportunities is in play for a 950K SF industrial project. National Development acquired the former Intel campus in Hudson for $12M in November 2023. Since Intel’s departure in May, it has been demolishing the remaining buildings that total over 700K SF, with plans to rebuild a 950K SF single-story industrial building.

LEGISLATION

Sweeping Labor Law Overhaul Package Introduced

Sen. Bill Cassidy released a slate of bills that would fundamentally change US labor law, proposing:

• NLRB's rulings would be bound to court precedent
• Decertification would not be allowed until after a first labor contract is reached
• Secret ballot elections as opposed to card-checking elections
• Parties bringing unfair labor practice charges would need to present evidence of wrongdoing in the initial filing
• Unions would need to inform members of political spending with the option to opt-out

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Legislature Goes on Holiday

State lawmakers have met for their final, formal time in 2025 with any remaining primary agenda items expected to be reviewed in 2026 now. The final bill that remains on Governor Healey's desk is a $2.3B spending bill needed to close the state’s financial books for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Within that, more than $1.6B is requested in MassHealth funding.

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NLRB Urges 9th Circuit to Decide Long-Delayed Cemex Case

The NLRB asked a federal appeals court to resume consideration of its landmark precedent to discourage labor law violations prior to union elections. A ruling on the case would provide the first appeals court judgment on the NLRB’s Cemex standard, which creates major consequences for trying to sabotage a union election via illegal conduct.

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FAST FACTS

• Boston leads the nation with 4.45M SF of office construction currently underway. Manhattan ranked second with just under 3M SF.

• The BPDA is recommending the linkage fee remain consistent in 2026 based on current economic trends. The total linkage fee is $30.78 per SF for lab space, and $23.09 for other commercial uses. 

• Nonresidential construction spending dipped 0.2% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.24T.

• In the City of Boston, 2023 and 2024 were the two lowest years for new housing permits since 2012.

• Mayor Wu announced homeowners will likely see a 13% increase in property taxes beginning in January 2026, renewing her push for her Home Rule Petition and revamped property tax plan.

• The Dodge Momentum Index, which tracks nonresidential projects entering the planning stages and leads actual construction spending by a full year, fell 7.1% in October.

• Former Morgan Lewis & Bockius partner Jonathan Snare has been sworn in as the chairman of OSHRC, the independent agency that hears appeals to OSHA citations.

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