NRCA supports supplemental visas for H-2B program
NRCA is urging the Trump administration to approve supplemental visas for the H-2B seasonal visa program for the upcoming 2027 peak season. An amendment included in the continuing resolution recently approved by Congress to extend federal funding through Dec. 11 provides the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor with the authority to issue supplemental visas exceeding the statutory maximum of 66,000 per year if warranted by economic demand.
In a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, NRCA and allied groups in the H-2B Workforce Coalition urged the administration to issue more than 64,000 supplemental H-2B visas for fiscal year 2027, which begins Sept. 30. The letter noted the availability of additional visas will allow more employers to “better handle their labor challenges” and provide “additional certainty regarding their workforce planning decisions in the coming months.” NRCA will continue working to maximize the effectiveness of the H-2B program to help roofing industry employers address peak workforce needs.
NRCA participates in adult education advocacy event
On Sept. 16-17, NRCA participated in the National Association for the Transformation of Adult Education’s “Flood the Hill” Washington, D.C., fly-in. The goal was to brief Republican and Democratic lawmakers regarding how adult education strengthens the workforce and to request bipartisan efforts to reform and expand training programs and career services under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. A key component of discussions was how to strengthen Integrated Education and Training, a workforce development model that combines adult education and literacy instruction with workforce preparation activities and occupational training for specific career pathways.
Demographic trends and challenges in career and technical education have resulted in too few skilled tradespeople to meet consumer demand in roofing and other trades. As such, finding solutions to the roofing industry’s ongoing workforce shortages remains a top advocacy priority for NRCA. Collaborating with the National Association of the Transformation of Adult Education will allow NRCA to expand ongoing advocacy efforts to strengthen federal workforce policies.
Planning to attend NRCA’s Fall Committee Meetings in Nashville, Tenn.?
Join your roofing colleagues for a lively evening of cocktails, networking and community in support of ROOFPAC, the roofing industry’s voice in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville. Enjoy an expert-led tasting with your friends while supporting the future of the roofing industry ($175 per person/$275 per couple). Members of NRCA’s Political Insiders Council and Capitol Hill Club, along with their guests, receive complimentary admission. Special thanks to our sponsor, Amrize—whose portfolio includes Elevate Commercial Roofing Systems, Gen-Flex, Duro-Last, Enverge, Gaco and Malarkey—for helping make this event possible.
To register, please visit www.nrca.net/roofpac-fall-event. For any questions or to secure the couples’ rate, contact Teri Dorn at (202) 510-0920 or tdorn@nrca.net.
National Labor Relations Board expands staff
The National Labor Relations Board announced the appointment of five new administrative law judges, bringing the agency’s total to 30 judges. This development comes in the wake of recent appointments to the board that gives it a 3-1 Republican to Democrat ratio that is expected to enable the board to rescind decisions made in recent years, resulting in significant policy shifts in federal labor law. The expansion of administrative law judges, who try unfair labor practice cases filed by employees and issue recommendations to the board, is designed to allow the agency to process unfair labor cases more quickly. The new appointments will allow the board to accelerate its handling of cases as it deals with a large backlog that has resulted from staff reductions implemented at the beginning of the Trump administration.
