‘Get out the bad apples’: Delaware’s largest trades union targets incumbent Democrats after labor bill fails in House

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Hope turned to shock and anger on July 1, as Delaware labor leaders, who believed they were on the cusp of passing legislation they’d spent at least a decade pushing for, saw the House chamber adjourn without considering their bill.

“Every member in attendance at our July meeting was completely enraged by the fact that we didn’t even get a floor vote,” said James Ascione, treasurer of the local chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

House Democrats running for reelection this year are facing a frustrated key constituency, who are prepared to make the midterms a challenging election cycle in hopes of reshaping the chamber.

The Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council, the umbrella organization for all of the state’s trade unions, has recently aggressively moved to try to oust several House Democrats it accuses of not supporting the legislation.

“They’re just half-assed Democrats, as far as I’m concerned,” council President James Maravelias said. “We need to find somebody that’s a true champion of unions and get them in.”

Ascione sent a letter to House leaders on July 1, requesting the return of a $5,000 political donation. Speaker Melissa “Mimi” Minor-Brown has denied receiving that donation, but some say the letter could show evidence of pay to play.

The ‘crown jewel of organized labor’

Delaware trade union leaders said they had worked with House and Senate leadership to craft Senate Bill 272, sponsored by state Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Stanton, and House Majority Whip Ed Osienski, D-Newark.

Under the proposal, school districts would have to use union labor, which would be governed by a project labor agreement with the Building and Construction Trades Council. A PLA is a contract between the unions and contractors that spells out the pay, rules and working conditions. If merit — or nonunionized shops — secured the winning bid for a project, they would be required to hire a percentage of unionized workers.

Walsh argued that the legislation would ensure projects are completed efficiently, on time and by a highly skilled workforce.

Ascione said the bill was vital to Delaware construction unions, as PLAs are the “crown jewel of organized labor.”

But it faced significant resistance from major industry groups, such as the Associated Builders and Contractors of Delaware, along with minority business groups and the state Chamber of Commerce. Opponents said it was unfair to the state’s nonunionized contractors, would hike project costs and necessitate the use of out-of-state contractors.

Efforts have been a ‘heavy lift’

Maravelias said getting a PLA bill passed over the years has been a “heavy lift,” with efforts dating back at least a decade. It had looked like this could be the year they would get it past the finish line.

Democratic state senators passed the legislation along party lines in May, but it then ran into roadblocks in the House, leading trades union leaders to descend on Legislative Hall on the last day of session to urge its passage.

A Republican state representative who requested anonymity to describe the behind the scene negotiations on June 30 said some Democrats were concerned they were going to be “hammered on this issue” if they voted for the bill in an election year.

“There was a big divide between the progressive group and the mainstay of the Democratic representatives on the other side of the aisle,” they said. “We were very forceful in the fact that we weren’t going to vote for that.”

Despite discussions during party caucus meetings being secret, Maravelias said he was told that in that meeting on July 1, incumbent Reps. Eric Morrison, Nnamdi Chukwuocha, Krista Griffith, Alonna Berry and Sherae’a “Rae” Moore voted not to bring the bill to the floor.

In a statement, Minor-Brown said the project labor agreement bill advanced further than any previous attempts because it was given thoughtful consideration. She said that while it lacked the votes, her members continue to be strong partners to organized labor.

‘Votes are not for sale’

Minor-Brown denied that Ascione gave the Delaware House Democrats PAC a $5,000 donation and that it would have had any impact on votes.

“Our members’ votes are not for sale,” she said in a statement. “We do not operate in a pay-to-play environment, and any suggestion that a political contribution entitles an organization to a particular vote is both false and offensive to the integrity of the legislative process.”

Ascione told WHYY News he personally handed Minor-Brown a check for $5,000 for a House leadership fund at a fundraiser last fall. He denied it was given in exchange for House Democrats voting on the bill, but said he asked for the money back because they failed to deliver on labor’s big priority this session.

“This bill not getting to the floor for even a vote was kind of the wake-up call,” he said. “This was an important piece of legislation that would have been trajectory-altering for construction in Delaware, not just for union members but for nonunion members.”

Incumbents and challengers react to labor endorsements

This was the last year of the two-year 153rd General Assembly, which means that bills that failed to make it past both chambers are dead and must start all over again next year.

Maravelias said he’s holding those he heard were against the bill in the caucus meeting responsible.

“For too long in Delaware, we’ve played nice in the sandbox. We have allowed the Democratic Party to grow majorities and supermajorities, in some cases,” he said. “Now all of a sudden, we’re forgotten again. We’re going to have to get out the bad apples and put in people that are true Democrats.”

WHYY News contacted some of the incumbents and primary challengers in the races Maravelias is working to influence. Some declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.

But Chukwuocha, who is facing Wilmington City Councilwoman Shané Darby, told WHYY News he is not concerned about the labor leader’s endorsement of his opponent.

“We’re running a great campaign,” he said. “You want to see what’s happening in my community? Come visit.”

Darby said in a text message that she is honored by the building trades union support.

“Their endorsement reflects a shared commitment to creating good-paying union jobs, investing in workforce development, supporting apprenticeships and ensuring Delaware’s economic growth benefits working families,” she said.