LCLAA on President Biden’s State of the Union

Washington, DC - In the last year, President Biden and his administration have made strides to make life better for working class Americans. They have worked across the aisle to follow through on several of his campaign promises – signing monumental legislation to combat climate change, to protect our health and our livelihoods during the pandemic, and to address the student loan debt crisis. 

Yet, on key issues like immigration and the economy, the Administration has wavered between making progress and falling short. It has not been enough - not enough for workers, for immigrants, for Latinos. 

The Administration made history issuing a new guidance that allows immigrant workers to obtain temporary protections, but they have yet to permanently end the “Remain in Mexico” and Title 42 policies, or to establish a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients. President Biden was able to bring inflation down and to reduce our country’s unemployment rate to its lowest in over half a century, but high gas and grocery prices still impact all of our lives. 

Through his State of the Union address, President Biden issued a call for optimism. For the labor movement, optimism is vital as we are constantly facing new obstacles we must overcome. It allows us to persist and to preserve. But optimism alone does not produce the long-term change our movement strives for. 

LCLAA is hopeful for the future because we see that the Administration shares our goals and because we know that our membership and our allies will always organize to push the Administration towards progress. Our members are restless and they will not settle until all Latino working families have equal opportunities to live with dignity.