Nevada AFL-CIO: Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal to Bring Good Paying, Union Jobs to Nevada
Today, the Senate passed The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act after months of negotiations. In total, the deal includes billions of dollars in new federal investment in America’s infrastructure that will create good-paying, union jobs for Nevada’s workers. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives. Nevada State AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rusty McAllister released the following statement in support of the legislation:
“Every dollar invested in our country’s infrastructure is an opportunity to put people to work in union jobs that will give them higher pay, better benefits, and a louder voice in the workplace than their non-union counterparts. This Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will not only improve Nevada’s roads, bridges, water systems, clean energy, and transit, but also create jobs and economic opportunities for our proud union brothers and sisters as we grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This bill, supported by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, is a historic investment in Nevada’s working people and families, generating union jobs in existing fields and in industries that are yet to be created. Unions built this country, and now, we have an opportunity to make necessary updates and improvements to bring our state into the 21st century.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will:
Create millions of good-paying jobs. With the President’s Build Back Better agenda, the investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will add, on average, around 2 million jobs per year over the course of the decade, accelerating America’s path to full employment while bringing workers who have been left behind into the labor force.
Protect critical labor standards on construction projects. The overwhelming majority of the funds in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be subject to Davis-Bacon requirements, which ensure that contractors pay workers on construction projects a fair, prevailing wage so that local wages, labor markets, and workers won’t be undercut.
Repair our roads and bridges. Nevada would expect to receive $2.5 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over five years.
Grow wages in the clean energy industry. With this legislation, new jobs created in the clean energy industry—solar, wind, carbon capture, energy transmission—would be good-paying, union jobs. This bill extends prevailing wage protections to all energy infrastructure provisions and invests $38 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in Nevada.
Put pipefitters to work making communities safer. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act invests $1 billion to modernize and repair natural gas distribution pipelines, creating good-paying jobs while fighting the climate crisis by reducing methane emissions, as well as making our communities safer.
Protect and support transit workers. The legislation includes new provisions to prevent operator assaults built on collective bargaining and labor-management collaboration so that no transit worker should fear for their safety just for doing their job. Nevada would expect to receive $462 million over five years to improve public transportation across the state.
Invest in coal and energy communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act invests in places impacted by shifting energy markets and invests $21 billion in environmental remediation, creating good-paying union jobs in hard-hit energy communities.