Dan McConnell named as president of Minnesota State Building Trades Council

SAINT PAUL — The Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council’s executive board has elected IBEW Local 292 member Dan McConnell as president. Since 2011, McConnell has served as business manager of the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council. He now will serve in both positions.

McConnell succeeded Joe Fowler as president of the Minnesota Building Trades, effective February 14, following Fowler’s resignation.

Fowler, who remains business manger of Laborers Local 563, had been elected to a four-year term to lead the Minnesota Building Trades as president in July 2021. McConnell will serve out the remainder of Fowler’s term.

McConnell told the Labor Review that he went into a January 25 meeting  not knowing that he would leave as president-elect of the Minnesota Building Trades. “I’m really grateful for the support from the business managers,” he said.

Moving forward in his new leadership role at the Minnesota Building Trades Council, “I’m excited about the opportunity to think about things differently and to operate more efficiently and be more effective,” McConnell said.

McConnell said he wants to see the Minnesota Building Trades “not just do things because we’ve done them that way — but do things because they make sense.”

The Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council represents 15 affiliated unions and their 70,000 members.

The Council advocates at the local, state and federal level to support infrastructure investments and policies favorable to the interests of building trades workers, including measures to protect worker health and safety, to safeguard collective bargaining rights and prevailing wage laws, and to advance apprenticeship programs.

McConnell, 52, grew up in Minneapolis and is a third-generation graduate of the city’s Roosevelt High School. He later graduated from the electrical construction program at Dunwoody.

McConnell joined IBEW Local 292 in 1998 and completed its four-year apprentice program.

He worked in the field for four years as an apprentice and three years as a journeyman before becoming IBEW Local 292’s political director in 2005.

In 2011, McConnell became the full-time business manager of the Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council.

McConnell also currently serves as the financial secretary-treasurer of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.

He has an extensive record of involvement with community groups and local economic development boards.

McConnell also is a past chair of the Minneapolis DFL Party.

Growing up in his family, McConnell related, “I grew up in the trades,” surrounded by building trades workers.

His father, John McConnell, was a member of Carpenters Local 851 and a 37-year building inspector for the City of Minneapolis.

His father’s friends were union trades workers.

His uncles were members of IBEW and the Iron Workers.

“I grew up helping my dad do different construction projects, building my mom’s house, remodeling grandma’s kitchen, building a cabin… We were always doing some project,” McConnell said.

McConnell lives in Minneapolis with his wife Becky Boland and teen-aged daughter.

McConnell’s new position as president of the Minnesota State Building Trades Council will be part-time.

Tom Dicklich is the full-time executive director of the State Building Trades Council.

This story includes reporting from the August 26, 2011 issue of the Labor Review.