Collaborating Through Hard Times

By Billy Lang

It’s hard to believe that 2025 is already behind us. This past year brought its share of challenges and opportunities, and I’m grateful for every experience that pushed me to grow as a Business Agent. 

Our contractors were hit hard by tariffs that raised the cost of putting our members to work by hundreds of thousands of dollars each day. We also saw federal funding slashed on several major projects, projects that would have delivered millions of hours for our members. The result? It has been a slower year across the industry and our members have felt tightening firsthand. 

And even with the setbacks, we still racked up some big wins for our members. We saw Boston Mayor Wu sign a Project Labor Agreement covering every school in the city of Boston. DC35 negotiated and ratified one of the strongest contracts in our history, securing a major wage increase and long-sought contract language our members have been fighting for since I joined the union. Our annual STAR event at Franklin Park Zoo drew the highest attendance ever on record. To me, this is proof that when times get tough, DC 35 shows up for each other even more. 

Contract Negotiations 

I am also proud to share that I had the honor to negotiate the glassworkers’ master agreement for the first time, and we secured the largest raise they’ve seen in several contracts. Thank you to retired Business Representative Joe Itri for his guidance throughout that process. 

I’ve also been representing DC 35 in ongoing negotiations with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA). Our discussions have focused on strengthening jobsite protections, streamlining dispatching procedures, and wage negotiations. With upcoming improvements at both the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) and the Hynes Convention Center, we’re pushing hard to expand work opportunities for our members on all MCCA-covered work. 

This year also reminded us how quickly work can dry up when anti-union politicians take office. Rising interest rates, tariffs, and volatile markets make developers hesitant, and when funding slows, our industry feels it immediately. That’s why I’ve spent this year understanding how projects are financed, and where union-committed funding sources exist. Those efforts are already paying off: we’ve built relationships with major developers in our territory, and several large, long-term projects are now under review.  This strategy will help us hedge against economic ups and downs, and in some cases, help bring new projects to life that will keep our members working even when conditions are tough. 

When we Organize, we Win 

Most importantly, 2025 was a year when our members showed the kind of engagement that defines the labor movement. Hundreds mobilized to win the Sophia project in Everett and the Somernova project in Somerville. We took job action when necessary, including a major demonstration that shut down downtown Salem, Massachusetts, after the mayor blocked hundreds of good union jobs at the new high school. And throughout the political season, DC35 once again led the way in member activism, helping elect true, real allies who stand with working people. Because our members stepped up time and time again, we enter 2026 with a stronger foundation than ever. 

As I wrap up my article, I want to recognize a group I’m honored to represent that has had a particularly hard year. At the time I am writing this, the federal government is in the middle of the longest shutdown in history. I know that topics like this can be polarizing and divisive among our membership, but our shared belief in an hour’s pay for an hour worked isn’t. During this shutdown, our brothers and sisters in Local 1915 working in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard – the workforce directly responsible for our national security – have not received a paycheck, despite keeping up with the high demands of working in the top-performing shipyard in the country. They have had their Union contract nullified and their officers threatened with removal by executive order. Despite this roadblock, 1915 has remained strong and true to each other, displaying the kind of solidarity during hard times that true Union brotherhood is built upon.  On behalf of myself, DC35, and the country, I’d like to thank those members for their service and sacrifices to keep us safe.