Federal Funding Cuts Put Our Jobs at Risk
Brothers and Sisters,
Across the United States, major energy, manufacturing, and transportation projects are being delayed, canceled, or abandoned altogether. These weren’t speculative ideas. They were real projects, already planned or underway, that would have meant hundreds of good-paying union jobs, long-term local employment, and stronger domestic workers.
Since the start of the current administration, at least 300 energy and transportation construction projects worth $236 billion have been canceled, postponed, or seriously threatened. Of those, $131 billion in projects have been outright canceled, representing at least 255,000 lost construction jobs nationwide. Many cancellations did not include job estimates, meaning the real impact is likely far higher.
These losses are not because the work isn’t needed. Demand for infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing is growing. Instead, projects are collapsing due to policy reversals, gutted tax incentives, and economic uncertainty that has frozen investment and stalled job pipelines.
What this means for you
The same instability affecting workers nationwide is playing out here in Massachusetts. Federal funding cuts are delaying or canceling projects our members depend on–projects that were supposed to mean steady work, reliable hours, and long-term planning for our locals. Working families are already stretched thin, and this chaos puts even more pressure on our paychecks, our benefits, and our job security.
Offshore wind halted
In Massachusetts, the building trades fought hard to earn a Project Labor Agreement for Vineyard Wind, ensuring good union jobs on Massachusetts’ first large-scale offshore wind project. Since development began nearly a decade ago, more than 3,700 workers have been employed on Vineyard Wind, generating over $380 million in wages, salaries, and benefits.
When a sudden federal stop-work order halted construction just as the project neared completion, workers were left in limbo.
The same unpredictability that stalled Vineyard Wind is now playing out across Massachusetts and our country, threatening projects that were meant to create steady union work, grow local expertise, and anchor long-term clean energy jobs.
Transportation projects defunded
Cuts to transportation projects threaten thousands of family-sustaining, union jobs:
- Hundreds of millions axed from the Mass Pike and Allston Multimodal projects, shrinking job pipelines for skilled trades
- $20 million canceled for Roxbury street and transit improvements–projects that would have supported union labor while making communities safer and more accessible
Delays and cancellations mean lost hours, postponed starts, and uncertainty for members.
Clean energy cut – Higher Bills, Fewer Jobs
Nearly $466 million in federal clean energy grants have been lost, reducing job opportunities for members and raising long-term energy costs for families.
Raising Health Care Costs
Up to 300,000 Massachusetts residents could lose their health care coverage, and as a result, premiums may increase for all other plans. This will also hurt hospital construction projects.
The bottom line:
Federal funding cuts don’t just slow projects; they:
- Reduce job security and available work hours
- Increase household costs for energy, transportation, and health care
- Undermine hard-won labor standards like Project Labor Agreements
- Make it harder for working families to plan for the future
We will continue to track these developments and fight for the jobs and projects that working families in Massachusetts rely on. Staying informed is one of the most important ways members can understand what’s at stake for our state and our industry.
In Solidarity,
Robert Butler
President
SMART Northeast Regional Council
