Labor Caucus Requests Additional Labor Priorities in American Jobs Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the Labor Caucus wrote to President Joe Biden detailing their support for the American Jobs Plan, but outlining key labor-focused priorities that they would like to work with the President to additionally include in his infrastructure package:

• Allowing the deduction of union dues.
• Cracking down on companies deducting union-busting efforts as business expenses.
• Requiring labor standards, at minimum prevailing wage, are a requirement for any and all government-supported construction activities, including those pursued through tax incentives, bonds, grants, loans, etc.
• Creating new and enhanced federal bridge corrosion remediation requirements.
• Ensuring states that receive education funds agree to "maintenance of effort" – providing a minimum amount of future education funding in exchange for federal funding.
• Funding increases for offshore wind energy production and job training.
• Incentivizing the resurgence of not only domestic supply chains, but clean manufacturing and clean technology within those chains through tax incentives.
• Increasing the public health workforce through a $400 billion investment over 10 years. • Investing in a federal long-term climate adaptation program through FEMA & NOAA.
• Promoting EVs through historic federal investment, favorable tax treatment for domestically-produced vehicles, and building out a domestic supply chain; and requiring usage of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program to ensure strong labor protections in the production and maintenance of EV charging stations.
• Extending protections contained in union contracts to future employers when ownership changes.
• Ensuring private activity bonds are subject to work requirements and protections.
• Creating good paying union jobs and increasing energy efficiency by incentivizing the installation of mechanical insulation in buildings.
• Providing much needed financial support to multi-employer pension plans. • Enforcing government contractor wage and benefit standards including prevailing wage.
• Requiring infrastructure investments to "Buy American" to create jobs in the United States.

See the full letter below.

April 21, 2021

Dear President Biden:

As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Labor Caucus, we thank you for your recent release of the American Jobs Plan. Like you, we believe that America's infrastructure needs have been neglected for far too long, that investments included in this once-in-a-generation piece of legislation should be targeted domestically, and that every worker deserves access to a good-paying union job. Toward that end, we write to offer our support for the following principles included in your American Jobs Plan proposal:

• Passing the PRO Act.
• Ensuring a prevailing wage in any funded project.
• Building, preserving, and retrofitting more than 2 million homes and buildings.
• Replacing 100% of lead pipes and service lines, supporting clean drinking water and wastewater system investments, and remediating PFAS contamination.
• Modernizing 20,000 miles of road and repairing 10,000 bridges.
• Committing $85 billion to public transit.
• Injecting $100 billion into the push for high-speed broadband for all Americans.
• Providing $100 billion for workforce development and worker protection programs.
• Creating 1 to 2 million new registered apprenticeship slots and growing preapprenticeship programs that are more inclusive and diverse.
• Modernizing America's education infrastructure including electrification of school buses.
• Investing $400 billion to expand access to quality and affordable home and communitybased care for the elderly and differently abled persons.
• Establishing a Child Care Growth and Innovation Fund and investing $25 billion in upgraded childcare facilities and childcare jobs.
• Ensuring that as many goods and materials as possible are made in America and shipped on U.S.-flag, U.S. crewed vessels.
• Curbing offshoring of jobs and ensuring multinational organizations pay their fair share.

Respectfully, we ask you to work with us to achieve the following priorities:

• Allowing the deduction of union dues.
• Cracking down on companies deducting union-busting efforts as business expenses.
• Requiring labor standards, at minimum prevailing wage, are a requirement for any and all government-supported construction activities, including those pursued through tax incentives, bonds, grants, loans, etc.
• Creating new and enhanced federal bridge corrosion remediation requirements.
• Ensuring states that receive education funds agree to "maintenance of effort" – providing a minimum amount of future education funding in exchange for federal funding.
• Funding increases for offshore wind energy production and job training.
• Incentivizing the resurgence of not only domestic supply chains, but clean manufacturing and clean technology within those chains through tax incentives.
• Increasing the public health workforce through a $400 billion investment over 10 years.
• Investing in a federal long-term climate adaptation program through FEMA & NOAA.
• Promoting EVs through historic federal investment, favorable tax treatment for domestically-produced vehicles, and building out a domestic supply chain; and requiring usage of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program to ensure strong labor protections in the production and maintenance of EV charging stations.
• Extending protections contained in union contracts to future employers when ownership changes.
• Ensuring private activity bonds are subject to work requirements and protections.
• Creating good paying union jobs and increasing energy efficiency by incentivizing the installation of mechanical insulation in buildings.
• Providing much needed financial support to multi-employer pension plans.
• Enforcing government contractor wage and benefit standards including prevailing wage.
• Requiring infrastructure investments to "Buy American" to create jobs in the United States.

Again, we thank you for your commitment to America's infrastructure needs, for your commitment to targeting investments domestically, and for your commitment to workers and organized labor. We greatly look forward to working with you to build America back better.

Sincerely,