Over the last few weeks, Congress and the Biden Administration have delivered two historic and transformational pieces of legislation for UA members: the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Here's what they mean for UA members, UA work, and the future of the UA:
CHIPS and Science Act
The UA played a critical role in finalizing the CHIPS and Science Act and sending it to President Biden's desk to become law – which is why President Biden invited members from UA Local 602 to the White House for the signing ceremony.
Major companies are already announcing massive investments to build semiconductor plants, with more than $50 billion in funding announced immediately following the bill signing. Intel breaks ground next month in Ohio on their multi-billion dollar plant, and other companies are following suit all across the United States.
The best part? All of these plants are UA jobs – and the UA gets more work on chip plants than any other craft.
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The CHIPS and Science Act includes $52.7 billion in total funding, with:
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$39 billion in infrastructure incentives
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$10 billion for regional hubs
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$2 billion to strengthen small manufacturers
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At these funding levels, the CHIPS and Science Act alone has the potential to create 10 million UA manhours – a truly historic and generational piece of legislation for UA members.
Inflation Reduction Act
With strong labor protections attached, like Davis-Bacon prevailing wage and the use of registered apprenticeships, the Inflation Reduction Act is a massive and transformational bill for working families.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes an all-of-the-above energy approach, with funding for new and existing nuclear plants, hydrogen, carbon capture, natural gas, and more – making it a goldmine for UA jobs.
As part of this all-of-the-above approach, the Inflation Reduction Act includes a nuclear production tax credit to keep existing nuclear plants – and the UA jobs they support – in operation.
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The Inflation Reduction Act includes $369 billion in energy security and climate investments:
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$30 billion in production tax credits for batteries, critical minerals, and renewables
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$10 billion investment tax credit for construction of manufacturing facilities
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$8 billion for hydrogen production tax credit
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$5.8 billion for decarbonization in industrial sector
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$5 billion for natural gas plant upgrades
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$1.5 billion for methane emissions reduction
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$1 billion for retrofitting buildings
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$500 million for heat pumps
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At these funding levels, with Davis-Bacon attached, the Inflation Reduction Act has the potential to create 12 million UA manhours.
Battleground UA: Get Involved
Taken together, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act are two of the largest and most consequential pieces of legislation for UA members in generations – and they would not have been possible without the efforts of the UA at all levels of the political process.
The UA will always work with members of both parties to find common ground and create more UA jobs with fair wages and benefits. That's exactly why we get involved in politics and endorse candidates for office.
As the midterms approach, keep an eye out for more information from the UA and the General Officers to see which candidates we need to support – and which candidates we need to beat at the ballot.