ON THE LEVEL: Disch new official in charge of state carpenters union

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Andrew Disch may have become political director for the Wisconsin division of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters only about a month ago. But this is far from his first brush with the trades.

When he was growing up in Verona, Disch’s father supported the family by working as a union carpenter. Disch said he witnessed the many ways in which his dad, who’s now retired, benefited from being a member of Local 134 of the carpenters union in Madison.

All of that naturally predisposed Disch to like labor organizations.

“Union values have been part of my life as long as I remember, long before taking on this role,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today professionally without growing up in a middle-class union household.”

As head of the Wisconsin division of the carpenters union, Disch finds himself representing nearly 11,000 active and retired workers throughout the state. His main responsibility is to be their voice in the state Capitol, a job that’s about to make him a very busy man as lawmakers prepare to begin debating the state’s next two-year budget.

Like other union officials, Disch was happy to see Tony Evers topple former Gov. Scott Walker last November. Also like many of his counterparts, Disch applauds Evers for using his recently released budget proposal to call for various pro-union policies: the reinstatement of Wisconsin’s prevailing-wage laws and the repeal of right to work and of limits on the use of project labor agreements on public contracts.

“We’re very encouraged by the initial actions of Governor Evers and we will continue to support his efforts and building a stronger middle class in Wisconsin,” Disch said.
In leading the carpenters union in Wisconsin, Disch has some big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Mark Reihl, was essentially in the same position for 27 years, resigning only after he was appointed the state’s unemployment-insurance administrator.

Disch’s grooming for his current role began only about a year ago. But once again, the true preparation started years before that.
A lawyer by training, Disch got his first real professional job working as a lobbyist for the Madison Area Builders Association. To be sure, that group differs from his current employer in many ways; but there are also similarities.

“I think having worked in lobbying, coupled with the fact that union values are just part of who I am, it was a perfect fit to work for the carpenters union professionally,” he said. “With me, it’s always been about hammers and nails.”

Looking beyond the state budget, Disch said another of his priorities is fighting worker misclassification, a type of abuse that’s rampant in the construction industry. Misclassification occurs when employers deliberately mislabel direct employees as independent contractors in order to avoid paying unemployment taxes, worker’s compensation premiums and similar things.

Industry officials have said misclassification not only deprives the state of taxes and other resources but also gives unscrupulous companies an unfair advantage by letting them avoid costs that their honest rivals roll into bid prices. But because of seasonal layoffs that can muddy the distinction between permanent employees and someone hired for a specific job, worker misclassification can be particularly hard to weed out in the construction industry.

“It really comes down to enforcement,” Disch said. “Current laws need to be enforced and not ignored by state agencies.”