SMACNA members Guy Gast of the Waldinger Corporation and Mitch Golay of Corn States Metal Fabricators met with House Majority Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Congresswoman Cindy Axne (D-IA) at a recent issues event and fundraiser in Des Moines, IA.
Congresswoman Axne, who sits on the House Committees on Financial Services and Agriculture, is also currently the Dean of the Iowa Congressional Delegation. During the discussion, several SMACNA members, including Golay and Gast, had the opportunity to meet with the Congresswoman to discuss several critical issues, including the need for new solutions to current workforce issues. One of the possible solutions floated during the exchange was to include workforce development as a critical component of any immigration legislation that may arise in the future.
SMACNA's representatives also appreciated Jeffries and Axne's strong support for several recent SMACNA legislative victories. These included infrastructure provisions, school construction measures, prevailing wage and registered apprenticeship preferences, and energy efficiency tax incentives in the recently signed CHIPS and Science Act. All of these measures represent top priorities for SMACNA member contractors.
