Proposed Dunleavy regulations threaten jobs, workers

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Department of Labor commissioner has released draft regulations that would wreak havoc on Alaska’s construction apprenticeships. These regulations would eliminate career pathways for veterans, while destabilizing our business environment and killing jobs. As veterans who have built careers in the skilled trades, we hope that Labor Commissioner Tamika Ledbetter cancels these job-killing regulations.

The Department of Labor’s proposed regulatory changes are radical and would destabilize a workforce development system that Alaska contractors and craftsmen have established over the past half-century. DOL would eliminate apprenticeship standards for electrical, plumbing and pipefitting occupations, and allow massive increases in the number of “trainees” who could be supervised by journey workers.

Electrical, plumbing and pipefitting are inherently hazardous occupations, and DOL’s proposed regulations would almost certainly increase deaths and injuries on the job. One wrong move by an electrical worker can result in death, and there have been inadequately supervised young Alaskans who have died on the job when companies failed to follow apprenticeship safety protocols. Failure to provide adequate supervision of plumbers and pipefitters could place not only workers, but also building occupants at risk from high-pressure boilers and other complicated equipment. On-the-job deaths aren’t just a tragedy for individuals and their families, they are also bad for business because they contribute to higher workers’ compensation premiums.

DOL’s proposed regulations are as dangerous for businesses as they are for workers. For generations, Alaska’s electrical and plumbing/pipefitting contractors have used registered apprenticeship to develop their workforce in an increasingly complex, technologically advanced field. This industry-funded training saves dollars for the state, and provides a pathway into the middle class for hard-working blue-collar Alaskans. The DOL’s regulations would shatter regulatory predictability and potentially put many longstanding Alaska businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Regulatory predictability is essential for our local businesses, and DOL’s regulations would introduce chaos into a system that has worked well for decades.

Finally, DOL’s regulations would tear down an important career ladder for our veterans and their families. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Plumbers and Pipefitters’ unions have built national programs to help transitioning service members enter the skilled trades. Our Veterans Electrical Entry Program (VEEP) and Veterans in Piping (VIP) are nationally-recognized programs. These programs are designed to support the entry of military families into our workforce. Alaska has the highest per-capita population of veterans in the U.S., and it is our duty to support the use of such programs that support our military men and women. If DOL guts apprenticeship, the result will be a course of action that directly harms the success of our veterans. Veteran uncertainty in the workforce and lack of immediately transferrable skills, lead to under employment and unemployment for many military members and their families. This lack of access to quality careers has, in considerable part, lead to the staggering number of veteran suicides. DMVA recently released an estimated 17 veterans commit suicide daily. To willfully destroy the most affective means the men and women who fight for our nation have into the electrical and plumbing and pipefitter trades, is not just dangerous for our community, it is unpatriotic. As Commissioner Ledbetter herself is an Air Force Veteran, we expect more from our leadership.

Perhaps Gov. Dunleavy does not understand how devastating his administration’s proposed regulations would be for veterans, construction workers, and Alaska’s businesses. We urge his administration to withdraw these ill-advised regulations.

Kyle Kaiser is a journeyman electrical worker and U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq 2006-2007 and Afghanistan 2009-2010. Brandon McGuire is a journeyman pipefitter and a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq 2004-2005.

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