Southwest Carpenters Pushed for Infrastructure Deal in Senate, Shift Focus to House

In anticipation of the U.S. Senate passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (SWRCC) released the following statement from Executive Secretary-Treasurer and CEO Dan Langford:

“The bipartisan deal is an historic investment in our future. Meeting this moment is more than just fixing roads and bridges, expanding clean transit and energy, and protecting drinking water – it is about creating good-paying jobs, increasing economic prosperity, and giving tens of thousands of hard-working people a shot at the American dream. Carpenters are ready to build better. We look forward to making sure this bill gets across the finish line and delivers for working families.”

SWRCC has been fully engaged in support of a good infrastructure package that invests big in the Southwest and creates good, union careers. We have been advocating for our region to get our fair share of resources along with the flexibility to build the water, rail, energy, and road systems that will work best for our communities. And for every project, especially clean energy projects, to come with Davis-Bacon prevailing wage provisions that ensure workers are paid fairly. We are committed to seeing this deal and the budget reconciliation package passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden.

Here are some toplines of SWRCC engagement so far:

Hosted and participated in more than 10 jobsite visits, training center tours, roundtables and other events on infrastructure and workforce development with 4 Cabinet Officials, 5 U.S. Senators, and 9 U.S. Representatives and countless partners, including hosting Vice President Kamala Harris in Las Vegas and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in Riverside.
Submitted more than 8,800 emails, phone calls, and petitions from SWRCC members and supporters to Congress calling for big investments in the Southwest, including a petition delivery event thanking Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona.
30 SWRCC Leaders and Members joined 19 Virtual Lobby Meetings in the spring with U.S. Senators and Representatives and their staff on our priorities, including members joining from job sites in California and Colorado.

Released a poll showing 90% of Arizonans support building and repairing our crumbling infrastructure administered by Public Policy Polling.

More than 100 social media posts, including 2 Twitter Takeovers with Reps. Steven Horsford (NV-04) and Greg Stanton (AZ-09).

SWRCC represents nearly 60,000 members in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. We work with developers and elected leaders to raise the standard of building and living for all workers. As an affiliate of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, SWRCC is the largest council in the Brotherhood. With a network of 15 state-of-the-art training centers across 6 states, SWRCC provides cutting-edge, hands-on training on the best practices and latest technologies to ensure you are fully prepared for the workplace.