"Too many of our kids are leaving high school ill-prepared for college and absent the skills needed to enter the workforce. This trend is evidenced in Ward 1 by how few D.C. residents have been employed in recent construction and development projects. Additionally this low level of opportunity has fed the crime and despair we've seen among so many young adults here in Ward 1." Smith added, "Better schools and more robust partnerships with the trade unions of Washington D.C. is a critical component to ending the cycle of under-employment in the District. These partnerships will create apprenticeship opportunities which are pipelines to careers within the various construction trades." Smith further stated, "That is why I am happy to partner with the Washington Building Trades Council in pursuit of my election to the City Council. I wholeheartedly embrace this endorsement."


About the Washington DC Building Trades Council

Washington DC Building Trades Council is a 100 year old organization that represents skilled workers in the building industry. Its members are 15 local unions that are involved in every phase of construction such as Bricklayers, Electrical Workers, Iron Workers, Boilermakers, Plumbers Plasterers and Painters, among others. The Council's pension funds invest in construction projects across the DC Metropolitan Area. The member unions are an instrumental resource in meeting the First Source requirement to hire D.C. residents for District or District subsidized construction jobs. Additionally, member unions provide apprenticeship programs in our public schools to train future skilled workers.