U.S. State Issues

State Issues And Legislation Related To The Mechanical Insulation Industry

The Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust (LMCT) strives to monitor government activity in all 50 states, and maintain a political presence when issues arise that may impact the mechanical insulation industry or union construction. 

The pages listed below will track various state bills related to the mechanical insulation industry and post updates on any significant action. Our objective is to keep HFIAW members and our signatory contractors informed, but do not hesitate to contact us should members come across topics that may require our attention or action.

The LMCT is committed to raising awareness about the importance of Mechanical Insulation and the impact it can have on a variety of state-level issues.

 

State-level efforts to ban Asbestos

The LMCT is actively working with individual states on various initiatives to ban asbestos. You can review state-activity on such efforts on the individual state pages below. 

For more information and assistance in getting your state to consider legislation to ban asbestos, please contact the LMCT.

Tracking state-level legislation

The Mechanical Insulators LMCT tracks issues that impact the insulation industry -- both positive and negative legislation -- and advocates for the best outcome for our industry, members and contractors. This can include opposition to So-Called "Right to Work," efforts to protect Prevailing Wage laws, support for the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) and much more. 

Prevailing Wage

Prevailing Wage laws require construction contractors that work on publicly funded projects to pay construction workers at least the Prevailing Wages and benefits in the area. These laws affect all construction workers who work on projects in states with Prevailing Wage laws. The LMCT supports Prevailing Wage laws to help ensure contractors are not undercutting their bid on public projects by reducing the hourly wage of their employees, or misclassifying their employees as independent contractors. Multiple studies have shown these laws help keep cost overruns low by ensuring a highly trained and highly skilled workforce performs the construction work.

So-Called "Right to Work"

Multiple studies have shown there is no benefit from living in a So-Called "Right to Work" state. Instead of making living and working conditions better, states that have enacted So-Called "Right to Work" laws have a higher number of jobsite injuries and deaths. Furthermore, studies consistently show that these same states have more people who are uninsured, live below the poverty line and require government assistance.

Project Labor Agreements

Project Labor Agreements, or PLAs, are used in both the private and public sector to help ensure a project finishes on time and on budget. PLAs or other similar agreements such as Community Benefits Agreement allow project owners, general contractors and labor unions to agree on terms and conditions of employment. This prevents unnecessary work stoppages and also leads to a higher quality of work performed on a project.

Want to learn more about individual state issues? Select a state below.