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Building trades urge safeguards for workers, apprenticeships as off‑site construction grows
Summary
State building trades and the UA plumbers warned the committee that prefabrication and modular construction can speed housing delivery but must not undercut wages, apprenticeships or safety. They urged stronger contractor licensing, project labor agreements and enforcement when public funds are used.
Representatives of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council and the United Association plumbers’ union told the Senate Housing Committee on July 24 that prefabrication and modular housing present opportunities to increase supply but also raise labor, safety and enforcement concerns.
Heather Kurtenbach, executive secretary of the State Building Trades, said the trades support reducing permitting time and administrative burdens but warned against weakening safety or labor standards to speed housing production. “Prefabrication must not come at the expense of worker or consumer safety,” she…
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