Labor and Industry Advocates Praise Passage of Infrastructure Bill

Numerous advocates for employees, working families, and industries have spoken in support of the passage of the US$1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684). The bill, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed last Friday, focuses on investments in roads, railways, bridges, and broadband internet. It also calls for $550 billion in new spending over five years.

Lee Saunders, president of The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) said the law will “provide the shot in the arm our economy and our communities need.”

“[The law] will improve quality of life for all of us—everyone who drives on our roads, who rides public transit, who buys goods that pass through our ports, who depends on clean drinking water and a reliable power grid,” Saunders said. “After more than a year and a half of struggle and challenge, we are starting to turn the corner, and the passage of the infrastructure bill will further accelerate progress.”

Liz Shuler, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) called for more legislation to be passed in the spirit of the infrastructure bill.

“This investment in roads, bridges, transit, rail, climate change mitigation, electric vehicles, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, resilient transmission lines, and more is centered around the creation of good union jobs,” said Shuler. “Yet there is still more work to be done. “The Build Back Better Act will knock down the barriers that have prevented so many workers, especially women and people of color, from finding high-quality sustainable jobs. It will make quality childcare and elder care available to relieve the burden families face in getting back to work. Investments in good, clean union energy jobs will help us fight climate change and protect our communities. Improvements to our immigration system will ease the burden for those who want to call America home.”

ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft said the legislation will benefit many of the association’s cleaning industry members.

 “This legislation will provide much-needed investment in transportation and supply-chain resiliency for the cleaning industry in the longer term. Accordingly, we thank those members of the House of Representatives and Senate who supported this critical legislation and the President for signing the bill.”

Read more for a breakdown of the infrastructure package.