Issued August 10, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) International President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement today in response to the US Senate’s passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:
“Working people mobilized in record numbers last year to build a more resilient, inclusive, and equitable economy where all of us can thrive no matter what we look like, where we come from or what we do for a living. Senate Democrats have taken a significant step today with the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act advances important programs in public transportation, clean water, broadband and climate resilience with promising funding, but still much more has to be done to build our country back better and ensure that workers have unions and a voice in their own futures.
“Now we need to invest in the Black, Latinx, Asian-American and immigrant women who got us through the pandemic and were instrumental in the 2020 election. That means investing in our care economy, including protecting and expanding our home-based and community care system so it works for workers and those that need services, creating millions of good union jobs, addressing the climate crisis and environmental injustice, and creating a pathway to citizenship for dreamers, people with Temporary Protected Status, and immigrant workers, who have always been essential in our communities.
“SEIU members and worker leaders in the Fight for $15 and a Union are more determined than ever to win a better future for our families. Today’s vote is a start, but working people and our communities will continue to demand further bold legislative action that is necessary to help them and their families not only feel safe and secure but realize their dreams. To deliver on the full potential of the Build Back Better Agenda, Congress must move forward with speed on a Budget and a package that centers the needs of working families and ensures that corporations are held accountable and paying their fair share.
“We will not stop raising our voices around the country and in the US Capitol until our society and economy works for all the people, all of the time.”