LCLAA Celebrates the House’s Passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
MEDIA STATEMENT
November 16, 2021
Contact: Pablo Stein
pstein@lclaa.org | (202) 508-6989
WASHINGTON – LCLAA celebrates the House’s passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and looks forward to President Biden signing this bill into law. Through its $1 trillion investment in various areas of our infrastructure, the bill will create 1.5 million well-paying, non-outsourceable jobs per year if combined with the Build Back Better legislation making its way through congress—many of which will be union jobs and are sure to benefit working Latinos and bring thousands out of poverty and into a stable situation.
Through its investment in environmental clean up and climate change resiliency, the bill will also alleviate injustices that have long impacted people of color, who are more likely to live in flood zones, be impacted by unclean drinking water, or be exposed to dangerous chemicals in the environment. Similarly, the included investments in telecommunications will ensure that disadvantaged communities will no longer be left behind as they were during the pandemic, when lack of internet access prevented students from learning.
According to LCLAA Executive Director Jose Vargas, “This bill is a historic investment in Latino working people. It will allow so many in our community the opportunity to enjoy stable employment and rebuild their lives in the post pandemic era. It will also enhance the communities we live in, making them more accessible and connected to their surroundings and more resilient to climate change.”
Over the following days, LCLAA will continue to monitor Congress’ progress on the Build Back Better agenda, urging it to swiftly pass the legislation that will provide much needed relief to our community and to all Americans.
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The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) is the leading national organization for Latino(a) workers and their families. LCLAA was born in 1972 out of the need to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latinos in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. LCLAA represents the interest of more than 2 million Latino workers in the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), The Change to Win Federation, independent unions and all their affiliate unions. Visit LCLAA on the web at www.lclaa.org, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.