Around the Local

A high-level committee headed by Vice President Kamala Harris continues its investigation into leveraging the federal government’s power to promote unions and collective bargaining. An October meeting included Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

 

The group is at work on a report expected to be completed in late October.

 

IBEW President Lonnie R. Stephenson wrote in an op-ed that the Biden administration’s climate goals will be met only by expanding nuclear energy production.

 

With co-author Steven Nesbit of the American Nuclear Society, Stephenson said provisions in the infrastructure bill being debated in Congress that would prevent permanent closures of existing nuclear power plants are a welcome first step.

 

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh participated in a roundtable on October 13 at Atlanta Local 613 that focused on low wages and other workplace issues harmful to workers. At the event, Rep. Nikema Williams said workers lose $15 billion annually to wage theft, and highlighted the U.S. Department of Labor's work to prevent it.

“I'm glad to work with you and the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division in enforcing the Standard Act so Georgia workers get the pay they are due,” Williams said to Secretary Walsh.

President Biden is harnessing the purchasing power of the federal government to promote and encourage domestic manufacturing. First with an executive order in the first days of his presidency, then through the creation of a Made In America in America office, now the government is issuing guidance to maximize the use of taxpayer dollars to create good-paying union jobs. The federal government spends $60 billion annually to purchase products and services, making it the largest buyer of consumer goods in the world. To strengthen supply chains and shape markets to increase innovation, the new r

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visited Las Vegas on Aug. 9 for a roundtable on employment opportunities for young people. First-year wireman apprentice Quintin Gonzalez said he values the opportunity to learn the skills for a well-paying career without the cost of a four-year college degree. At the event also attended by U.S. Reps. Steven Horsford and Susie Lee, Las Vegas Local 357 Business Manager James Halsey encouraged Walsh to consider mandating the use of registered apprentices on all Davis-Bacon projects to increase apprenticeship opportunities.

For the first time in four years, the National Labor Relations Board will have a Democratic majority. On July 27, the Senate confirmed two labor-side attorneys: Gwynne Wilcox and David Prouty. Wilcox is the first black woman to serve on the NLRB. An NLRB field attorney, she has decades of experience, including a recent case accusing McDonald’s of retaliating against franchise owners who participated in an organizing campaign.

New research from the Economic Policy Institute demonstrates the broken system of labor laws in the United States and the necessity of passing the PRO Act.

The Biden administration announced a proposal to extend up to $1 billion in tax credits to existing nuclear plants, advancing a priority the IBEW has long championed as a win both for good jobs and a cleaner environment.The Production Tax Credit expansion is part of the administration's multitrillion-dollar plan to rebuild American manufacturing, infrastructure and energy sectors. PTCs have supported the construction of carbon-free wind, solar, storage and nuclear generation for years, but they have never been extended to existing nuclear plants. Over the last decade, about 10 nuclear react

President Joe Biden’s environmental goals will not come at the expense of economically distressed regions.

A powerful voice for workers went silent Aug. 5 with the death of Richard Trumka, who rose from humble roots in the Pennsylvania coal mines to lead the AFL-CIO.

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