Letter: Biden’s union-only approach is costly to Buffalo taxpayers

Recently, White House senior adviser Thomas Perez touted federal investments in multiple infrastructure projects in Buffalo. But these projects will bear an unfair and unnecessary high price tag, due to President Joe Biden’s divisive, union-only agenda that raises costs on construction projects funded by taxpayers while shutting out nearly 90% of the eligible U.S. construction workforce during a severe labor shortage.

The excessive burden of new federal regulations related to prevailing wage requirements, apprenticeship programs and anticompetitive project labor agreements on federal and federally assisted construction projects is designed to favor union workers and contractors bidding on infrastructure work. This approach excludes more than eight out of 10 of New York’s construction workers who have proven their ability to build our roads, bridges and schools efficiently and safely but do not belong to a union.

These requirements not only limit competition but could also lead to increased costs and delays in infrastructure projects, tightening the squeeze of ongoing inflation that New Yorkers are already feeling.