The New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents more than 150,000 rank-and-file members in 15 affiliated trades that comprise the construction industry, is holding its 120th annual convention on July 15-16 at the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino.

A highlight of the conference’s first day will be remarks by U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who was sworn in earlier this year as the nation’s 30th Labor secretary. Gov. Phil Murphy, who is in the last year of his second and final term, will be the featured speaker on Wednesday.

Delegates to the convention will be asked to consider and approve endorsements of a bipartisan slate of legislative candidates running for election in November, all of whom earned the support of the Council’s leadership through an internal screening and vetting process that began with the Local Building and Construction Trades Councils.

“These legislative candidates have shown they have what it takes to earn our endorsement,” said Council President William T. Mullen. “They have demonstrated support to strengthen labor law enforcement, promote economic development, and help make New Jersey a more attractive and competitive place to do business.”

In addition to acting on legislative endorsements, the delegates will vote to adopt several resolutions, including urging the state to continue enforcing labor laws, do more to attract and maintain businesses, and advocate for permanent and steady funding for the state’s neediest school districts.

“As prices of everything from milk to mortgages continue to rise, the state can – and must – do more to build our economy, stave off competition from neighboring states, and ensure that children and teachers have safe and modern buildings in which to learn. These overdue school building and renovation projects create thousands of family sustaining union construction jobs and position us for a stronger, more promising future,” Mullen said.

The convention schedule is chock-full of speakers. They include, from the Legislature: Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19); state Senators Jon Bramnick (R-21), Anthony Bucco (R-25), John Burzichelli (D-3), Vin Gopal (D-11), and Gordon Johnson (D-37); and Assembly members Christian Barranco (R-25), Wayne DeAngelo (D-14), John DiMaio (R-23), Kevin Egan (D-17), Michael Inganamort (R-24), and Anthony Verrelli (D-15).

Additional scheduled speakers are: state Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo; Joseph Jingoli, CEO of Jingoli & Son Inc., a construction company; Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill; Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli; and Bergen County Commissioner Tom Sullivan.