Washington, D.C. – On April 21, 2026 Governor Sherrill delivered the keynote address at the North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU) 2026 Legislative Conference in Washington DC. Governor Sherrill underscored her commitment to expanding opportunity and supporting organized labor.
She spoke about her grandpa’s union job. His parents lost everything in the Great Depression. He served in World War Two. Then he joined the UAW, and worked for decades as a welder, raising his eight kids, she said.
A good union pension meant my family didn’t go bankrupt caring for his family. That union job put my family squarely in the middle class. It put me on this path from the Navy, to Congress, to Governor. It gave my family opportunity – and that’s what America is all about.
And I’m also here because of the men and women from Steamfitters Local 475 in Warren, New Jersey. From IBEW Local 102. From Laborers Local 472. Just to name a few. People who work hard all week, but found time to walk with me, door to door, on their weekends – to spread our message about driving down costs and creating opportunity for everyone. You guys had my back, and I’ll have yours. I’ll fight everyone who breaks their promise to the men and women of labor.
And there’s just too much at stake right now. Too many people who are lining their pockets at the expense of everyone else. I ran for office to build a more affordable and accountable New Jersey. To expand opportunity, and build a government that delivers for the people it’s meant to serve.
For too long, we’ve seen a failure to invest in crumbling roads and bridges across America – a country that was once the standard bearer for building big, innovative things.
