President Biden has come out of the gates fast, signing a flurry of executive orders in his first weeks as president. Many of these orders seek to boost American manufacturing.
The AFL-CIO is heavily invested in these actions, as many workers along the American supply chain belong to AFL-CIO affiliated unions. Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga joined the AWF Union Podcast to discuss these orders and rebuilding our infrastructure.
President Biden’s executive orders and early action
Burga said President Biden has done a mostly good job with the executive orders he has signed. He halted federal student loan payments but still has not been able to get a stimulus package done.
Burga applauded President Biden for moving to remove Peter Robb as National Labor Relations Board General Counsel.
Finally, President Biden has signed an executive order to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. This will create many union jobs throughout the country to prop up the supply chain.
Passing the PRO Act and rebuilding infrastructure
Burga said passing and signing the PRO Act into law is an absolute necessity for this administration. The House of Representatives passed the PRO Act in the previous Congress, but now-Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would not bring the bill to vote.
The next order of business should be to develop a comprehensive infrastructure plan. Previous administrations have all said it is needed, but none could get the job done.
Burga said an infrastructure bill would create thousands of good-paying union jobs for years to come.