The Bloomington & Normal Trades & Labor Assembly (AFL-CIO) and the Livingston & McLean Counties Building & Construction Trades Council will jointly host a local candidates’ forum on Wednesday, March 1, 6:30 p.m., at Laborers Local 362 Hall, 2012 Fox Creek Road, Bloomington.  The event is free and open to the public.

All candidates for Bloomington and Normal councils, Unit 5 and District 87 schools and Heartland Community College were invited.  Each candidate was given three labor concerned questions and will be allotted three minutes to answer those questions.  Following the forum there is opportunity for union members and others to answer individual questions.

“Our local governments significantly impact potential jobs and working conditions for all workers, including union members,” said Trades & Labor President Robert Paul.  “We hope to understand the candidates’ philosophy and attitude toward working people and their organizations through this forum.”

Building & Trades President Mike Raikes added that “construction is a huge economic engine in our community.  We hope that our local candidates are committed to economic opportunity with work at prevailing wages done by skilled craft workers, trained through union apprenticeship opportunities.”

The Trades & Labor is a federation formed more than 100 years ago of over 30 local AFL-CIO unions. It represents local unions in McLean, Livingston, DeWitt and Logan counties.  The Building & Construction Trades Council represents the construction unions operative in Livingston and McLean counties.