When we make the pipe at McWane Ductile in Ohio that supplies our nation's clean water systems we also make American dreams. We make a stronger economy and better communities. It's time to invest in America again - in infrastructure that's #USWMade. More: uswvoices.org.
USW: Infrastructure Deal a Critical Step in Process
Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, rhufnagel@usw.org, 412-562-2450
The United Steelworkers (USW) today called the agreement that President Joe Biden announced yesterday with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators a positive step in what must be an ongoing process of rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
“Yesterday’s compromise gets us closer than ever to enacting a historic infrastructure program,” said USW International President Tom Conway. “After so many years of inaction from the White House, it is a welcome relief that the Biden administration is clearly committed to getting this done, but there is much more work to do before we can celebrate. This agreement is just one piece of what we hope will be a many-faceted approach to rebuilding our nation.”
Conway said the final plan must do more than just address the country’s crumbling roads and bridges, water systems and power grids. Congress must also enact legislation to ensure upgrades to the nation’s “human infrastructure” such as education, child care, health care and other essential services.
“Infrastructure is more than just iron pipes, steel beams and cement blocks,” he said. “It’s the teachers who educate our children and it’s the nurses who care for our aging parents. The final plans Congress approves must take a wider view of our national infrastructure than we have in the past so that we see lasting improvements in our quality of life for decades to come.”
The COVID-19 crisis should be a wake-up call for those in Congress who in the past have failed to look at infrastructure as a long-term, big-picture issue, Conway said.
“The pandemic made it clear that we must invest heavily both in restoring our nation’s manufacturing capacity and in keeping the American people safe,” he said. “That means making sure we never have to look overseas for essential goods. It means training new generations of workers so we have Americans ready to make the products we need. And it means supporting union organizing so that we make sure the jobs we create are the kinds of jobs that can support families and communities.”
USW Members at Google Contractor HCL Meet with VP Harris Labor Secretary Walsh
Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, 412-562-2450, rhufnagel@usw.org
USW members who work for Google contractor HCL met this afternoon with Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh to address the importance of promoting union organizing on a national scale.
The conversation took place following a larger meeting the two Biden administration officials held with representatives from the USW and seven other Pittsburgh-area unions at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall on the city’s South Side.
“Becoming a union member is a life-changing moment, and it’s good to see that this administration supports that,” said Amanda Parks, a USW member who works at HCL. “The surest way to promote good jobs and economic security for the working class is to grow union density across all sectors of the economy, from service jobs to blue collar jobs to white collar jobs and everywhere in between.”
About 80 tech workers at HCL, who work side-by-side with Google employees at the company’s Pittsburgh offices, voted in September 2019 to join the USW’s Federation of Tech Workers. The group is in the process of negotiating its first contract with the company.
This April, President Joe Biden signed an executive order establishing the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which is intended to use a whole-of-government approach to encourage worker organizing and expand collective bargaining.
Vice President Harris chairs the task force, with Secretary Walsh serving as vice chair. Twenty-three other top administration officials also serve on the panel.
In addition, the administration is calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would remove unnecessary barriers to union organizing and increase punishments for employers who illegally attempt to block workers’ collective efforts. The U.S. House passed the bill in March with a bipartisan vote.
“Today’s meeting is an encouraging reminder that workers have allies in the White House and throughout this administration,” said HCL worker Wynne Lanros. “It’s heartening to know that we have leaders who do more than just talk about supporting working people. They actually back up that talk with action to support them and their voices.”
We need to rebuild this country with American made, union made
Our water systems are falling apart. We're ready to rebuild them - union made and American made. It's time to invest in America again. It's time to invest in us. More: uswvoices.org. #USWMade