Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, 412-562-2450, rhufnagel@usw.org
The United Steelworkers (USW) today praised the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden signed into law today, as one of the most significant legislative initiatives of the 21st century.
“This rescue plan is a groundbreaking set of much-needed relief efforts and significant improvements to our social contract, which will quickly put American workers, families and communities on the road to recovery,” said USW International President Tom Conway. “This is truly a once-in-a-generation accomplishment for President Biden and Democrats in Congress.”
The plan includes a long list of efforts to provide direct relief to working families, including $1,400-per-person stimulus checks, as well as additional support for hard-hit small businesses, an extension of unemployment insurance, and housing, nutrition and child-care assistance.
In addition, the plan includes funding to support front-line health care workers and their facilities, shore up endangered pension plans, speed up vaccine distribution, and expand COVID-19 testing. Additionally, it will get the country on track to safely reopen schools, put unemployed Americans back on the job, aid financially strapped states and towns across the country, and help families cover the cost of utilities, transportation, college debt and other expenses.
“The American people elected Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress last year because they wanted leaders who understood them and who were committed to doing everything in their power to help them succeed,” Conway said. “That is what this rescue plan does. This is a huge victory for workers and families, one that can’t be overstated.”
The new law also shores up domestic production of essential goods to ensure that the shortages of much-needed supplies that Americans saw at the outset of the pandemic are not repeated.
“This law puts us back on solid footing and is a major first step toward a rebirth of the American Dream,” Conway said. “Today, we celebrate this momentous victory. Tomorrow, we urge President Biden and Congress to turn their attention to other efforts to aid the American people. This includes passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to restore their voices on the job, as well as the much-needed plan to reinvest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and put people back to work.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.