WILKES-BARRE — The Northeast Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council is not endorsing a candidate in this year’s fiercely-contested battle for the 8th Congressional District due to split opinions among leaders of the council’s 14 unions, council President Warren Faust said Friday.
The 8th District candidates — Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. and Democratic Mayor Paige Cognetti — both attended a Friday gathering arranged by the building trades council that gave union members time to talk to election candidates and local elected officials.
Two years ago, Bresnahan unseated Matt Cartwright, a Moosic Democrat who served in Congress for 12 years, and the Northeast Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council endorsed Cartwright in that election.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr., R-8, Dallas Twp., meets with members of trades unions at a Northeast Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council meeting on Friday in Wilkes-Barre. (Michael P. Buffer)
“I think it says a lot because when I had ran initially, they had a long-term existing relationship with Congressman Cartwright,” Bresnahan said of the decision to not endorse a candidate this year. “We look at problems comprehensively, and they know that I’m always a phone call away when different initiatives come up. … This is the lifeblood of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It’s the skilled trade. You can’t have any kind of production inside of Northeastern Pennsylvania without having the people and the resources with family-sustaining careers to build those actual investments. So anytime we can support the building trades, we’re here to do it.”
Cognetti explained why she attended the Friday’s gathering at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 44 office in Wilkes-Barre.
“It’s great that we can have a moment like this where the legislators and candidates from the Democratic Party and Republican Party are together talking about solutions and how we can work together to make sure that our men and women in labor are working, lots and lots of jobs coming up, and making sure that their wages and benefits and secure retirement are there for them,” Cognetti said. “We need to grow the union opportunities across the board in this region. We need to make sure that we’re educating our children about the professions in the trades and other labor organizations because I think that the newer generations don’t quite grasp yet the importance of a secure retirement. And that’s one of the key pieces that union membership can deliver. So it’s great to be able to support the trades, and as mayor, we’ve done a tremendous amount of work in Scranton.”
From left to right, Luzerne County Council Chairman Jimmy Sabatino, Council Vice Chairwoman Brittany Stephenson and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democratic congressional candidate, chat during a Northeast Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council meeting on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Wilkes-Barre. (Michael P. Buffer)
The following state legislators attended: Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore; Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp.; Rep. Brenda Pugh, R-120, Dallas Twp.; Rep. Alec Ryncavage, R-119, Hanover Twp.; Rep. Jim Haddock, D-118, Pittston Twp.; Rep. Dane Watro, R-116, Kline Twp., Rep. Bridget Malloy Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp. Rep. Kyle Donahue, D-113, Scranton; Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-112, Blakely: and Rep. Tara Probst, D-189, Stroudsburg.
“A good mix of Republicans and Democrats,” Faust said of Friday’s event. “As you know, Northeast Pennsylvania Building Trades, our members are Republicans, Democrats and independents. It’s crucial that we come together to collaborate and work together for one cause.”
Other attendees included: Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce; Luzerne County Controller Tim McGinley; and Luzerne County Council members Jimmy Sabatino, Brittany Stephenson, Joanna Bryn Smith, Patty Krushnowski and John Lombardo.