As President Biden unveiled the American Jobs Plan today in Pittsburgh, United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) General President Mark McManus applauded the plan as a solid first step towards modernizing our nation’s infrastructure with strong labor protections:
“The goal of the American Jobs Plan is simple: create good-paying union jobs while working to finally bring our nation’s infrastructure into the modern age. After the devastating effects of the COVID pandemic, this plan is the beginning of a much-needed shot in the arm for working people like the Brothers and Sisters of the United Association,” said Mark McManus, General President of the United Association. “The American Jobs Plan provides long-overdue investments to ensure all of our communities have clean and safe drinking water by replacing all lead pipes, and that our schools and buildings are retrofitted for safe air circulation. We are encouraged by the direction taken by the Biden-Harris Administration on jobs in the energy industry and the strong focus on the use of registered apprenticeships. Energy technologies like carbon capture sequestration, hydrogen, and nuclear — all components of the American Jobs Plan — will ensure we meet our shared climate goals while creating good-paying union jobs.”
“As with any job-creating bill, the American Jobs Plan must have strong labor protections across industries to ensure these are good-paying union jobs with hard-earned benefits. We are encouraged by the Biden-Harris Administration’s push to include these labor protections, like Davis-Bacon provisions and the use of registered apprenticeships, on any federally funded project and on any tax credit used to create new jobs.”
“Today’s introduction of the American Jobs Plan is an important step towards finally reinvesting in and modernizing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. If it includes strong labor protections and federal loan guarantees, the American Jobs Plan has the potential to revitalize our working class while building back better than ever before. The entire United Association stands ready to get to work with this proposal delivering safe and clean water, retrofitting schools and buildings, and providing efficient energy to American families.”