US labor secretary visits Wisconsin construction site

Listen to this article

Federal and state officials toured a small ongoing project in Mequon and discussed construction industry concerns.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican from Oregon chosen by President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah), U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and State Rep. Paul Melotik (R-Grafton) went on a tour of the Wisconsin Veterinary Center 24-hour pet clinic underway in Ozaukee County.

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin and Kaukauna-based Keller Inc. hosted the tour, which was the labor secretary’s first stop in Wisconsin. Chavez-DeRemer had visited at least 20 states so far in the “America at Work” listening tour and plans to visit all 50 states by the end of the year.

Labor is a top concern for the construction industry as the Associated Builders and Contractors in January reported that 439,000 new workers were needed to meet demand for construction services in 2025. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the median age in construction is 42 years old, and different sources predicted that many skilled trades workers will retire in the next decade.

Chavez-DeRemer said her goal was to hear from industry leaders about their needs and what the workforce demands were. The labor secretary said the DOL will work with community colleges, technical schools and centers of excellence, the latter meaning a facility or group with broad skills or expertise.

“We want to make sure people have the ability to have the skills they want, have mortgage-paying jobs, and provide for their families, so we’re upscaling apprenticeship programs,” Chavez-DeRemer said.

Apprenticeships in construction and manufacturing continue to lead state apprenticeship programs, followed by healthcare, agriculture and education, a Wisconsin Policy Forum report showed. Trades such as construction electricians, plumbers, operating engineers, carpenters, laborers, sheet metal workers and steamfitters had the most trainees, with at least 1,000 active apprentices in the first four categories, the report showed.

ABC of Wisconsin, a widely non-union organization, enrolled more than 2,500 apprentices in 2024, spread throughout state technical colleges and member companies, officials said. ABC represents more than 1,000 small- and medium-sized firms and members employed more than 25,000 skilled workers in Wisconsin, officials said.

In 2023 and 2024, more than 2,000 people took pre-apprenticeship programs and more than 1,500 moved onto construction trades after completion, the policy forum report showed.

WRTP | BIG STEP, a nonprofit based in Milwaukee with union connections, trained around two-thirds of those who completed pre-apprenticeship programs in 2023 and 2024, the report showed. The group’s largest program, which is focused on construction trades, serves Milwaukee, Madison, and Racine. Participants also drove from 32 counties and commuted from northern Illinois.

Chavez-DeRemer said there had been more than 500,000 jobs added since Trump took office, more than half coming from the private sector.

The labor secretary’s comment followed the Bureau of Labor Statistics report that 73,000 jobs were added in July with little change since April, which is fewer jobs than employers expected. Construction was one of the sectors with little change in employment over the month, BLS reported.

As the industry tries to grow back the skilled trades, will those in the “blue collar boom” carry union cards? Chavez-DeRemer said it wasn’t her job to have an opinion on unions but to help the president grow the economy.

“My goal as labor secretary is to support all American workers,” Chavez-DeRemer said on Monday. “There will be organized labor, there will be private sector. We want the employees to have a choice, and we want every state to have their choice in what they want to do,” she added.

The Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center project is a 10,887-square-foot animal clinic and hospital which will include seven exam rooms, four surgery rooms, an ER treatment area, ultrasound room and pharmacy, ABC officials said. The project used workers from 18 different trades, including apprentices. It will be turned over to the owner in October, officials added.