Legislature approves bill promoting behavioral health training in construction trades

Business Community Government Health & Wellness Legislature approves bill promoting behavioral health training in construction trades Posted on March 5th, 2026 By: Vince Dice Share this article: As a union president with nearly four decades in the construction industry, Chuck Moe has seen how mental health and substance use issues keep people off the job. Yet, until recently, little was ever done about it. Health & Wellness Sponsor Health and Wellness stories are made possible in part by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, a proud sponsor of Gig Harbor Now. Moe started his career as an apprentice in 1990. For most of that time, it was taboo for construction workers to admit they were struggling with depression or an addiction. Personal issues were kept off the jobsite. Workers were told to “rub some dirt on it,” he said. They were there to “get the job done.”   “It’s that old mentality that if you’re in construction, logging or commercial fishing, you’re tough,” said Moe, president of both the Laborer’s Local 252 union and Olympic Peninsula Building and Construction Trades Council. “It’s time someone stepped up and said this is an issue.” Bill aims to reduce stigmas Recognizing the challenges facing workers in the industry — who continue to die by suicide or overdoses at rates much higher the general population — the Legislature last month passed a law that industry leaders believe will reduce stigmas and accelerate changing attitudes toward behavioral health care. House Bil...