National Roofing Contractors Association Chairman of the Board\nKent Schwickert, NRCA Chairman of the Board-Elect Nick Sabino and NRCA CEO Reid\nRibble met with White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney April 3 during Roofing\nDay in D.C. 2019 to discuss the roofing industry’s workforce needs, including\nimmigration reform and worker training incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the West Wing meeting\u2014a first for the roofing\nindustry\u2014NRCA leadership explained a chronic shortage of qualified workers is\nthe most significant limitation on the ability of roofing industry employers to\ngrow their businesses. This problem will become even more acute in the future\nbecause of an aging workforce, educational trends and ongoing rebuilding\nefforts resulting from recent hurricanes and other natural disasters throughout\nthe U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although NRCA is pursuing numerous initiatives designed to\nattract more U.S.-based workers to the roofing industry, providing for\nsufficient levels of legal immigration to meet economic demand remains vital to\naddressing the industry’s long-term workforce needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NRCA believes the security and economic needs of U.S.\ncitizens should be paramount in immigration policy. NRCA is asking Congress to\nestablish a visa system, such as the system proposed in the Workforce for an\nExpanding Economy Act, that meets the workforce needs of roofing and similar\nindustries. This system should be governed by market forces, ensure employers\nundertake vigorous recruitment to hire U.S. workers first, and enable job\ncreators to obtain the workers needed to meet demand and grow their businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NRCA supports legislation that allows Temporary Protected\nStatus workers who have a demonstrated track record of working legally in the\nU.S. with the opportunity to apply for permanent legal resident status. This\nwould allow eligible TPS workers to continue contributing to their communities\nand increased economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I appreciate that the president’s chief of staff took\nthe time to meet with us and am pleased with our conversation,” Schwickert\nsays. “It’s important to discuss these vital issues for our industry, and\nhe was attentive and asked insightful questions as we discussed the roofing\nindustry and our concerns. Although the political environment in Washington,\nD.C., remains challenging for solving the workforce issues facing our nation,\nwe will continue working to solve them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NRCA looks forward to working with the Trump administration\nand Congress regarding bipartisan legislation to address visa reform such as\nthat contained in the Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act and the need to\nretain the valuable contributions of TPS workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roofing Day in D.C. is the largest advocacy event dedicated\nsolely to the roofing industry. More than 400 roofing industry stakeholders\nfrom throughout the U.S. are in Washington, D.C., to meet with their elected\nofficials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n