Missing From the Headlines: Legislation and Policy We've Helped Get Passed

Elected officials and those they appoint continually make decisions that impact our bargaining ability, job security and more. Read on for recent actions that haven’t always made the headlines.

Pensions of 120,000 active and retired members protected.

The American Rescue Plan provided many needed resources to help struggling workers and communities across the nation. One of its most significant provisions is a resolution to a decade-long battle to shore up multiemployer pensions that were in distress from unfair trade, financial crisis and other factors.[1]

Once-in-a-generation win on infrastructure investment.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) became law on November 15, 2021, during a signing ceremony at the White House that began with a speech from a USW member. This law is an investment in our roads, bridges, ports, water systems, broadband, and more. It has the power to create and sustain USW jobs found throughout the infrastructure supply chain, while improving the safety and health of our communities and economic competitiveness.[2],[3]

Pro-worker direction at the National Labor Relations Board and more funds to do the work.

Throughout the previous administration, we saw a continual weakening of workers’ rights at the hands of the National Labor Relations Board and its general counsel, Peter Robb. In moves large and small, they chipped away at our bargaining ability, gave more power to companies, and generally weakened unions. As one of the current President’s first moves on Inauguration Day, he forced Robb to vacate the post.[4] Since then, the President appointed a new general counsel and additional board members with union backgrounds. Their work is rebalancing the Board away from pro-corporate interests and toward workers’ rights.[5],[6] The NLRB has been underfunded for years while their caseload grows. Our union helped secure more federal funding in 2022 so more work can be done to protect workers.[7] 

Lower prescription drug costs ahead.

For the first time, the federal government is negotiating for lower drug prices for seniors on Medicare thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). Other benefits of the law include inflation caps for Medicare prescription drugs, improvements to prescription benefits, and a cap of $35 for insulin. The law also prevented a premium spike for Affordable Care Act enrollees.[8]

American manufacturing commitment.

An executive order set out standards for strengthening domestic manufacturing requirements for federally-funded projects, which benefits many USW workplaces in the supply chain. It also created a Made in America office to support the work and scrutinize requests to bypass the rules.[9] A subsequent law made the office permanent so that it can’t be eliminated in the future. A series of additional recent laws, from the IIJA to the IRA, have also strongly prioritized using domestically-made products for the projects being funded.

Inflation and supply chain solutions.

One of the largest supply chain vulnerabilities facing the U.S. is the shortage of semiconductor chips, those little powerhouses that are needed for every “smart” application in vehicles to tvs to cell phones. While this tech was invented in the U.S., we ceded this industry to Asia, where roughly 80 percent of the chips are now made. The shortages are a driver of inflation. For instance, a lack of chips has meant delays of new vehicles and rising auto prices. The bipartisan Chips and Science Act became law in August 2022, investing $54 billion into rebuilding the industry here.  Companies are already making investments that are expected to result in tens of thousands of new jobs.[10],[11] Another supply chain vulnerability became clear in the early days of the pandemic as frontline nurses and other health care staff turned to grocery bags and reusing masks due to critical shortages of personal protective equipment. This was another industry that had largely left our shores. A new law is helping to onshore production.[12]  

Union members in key government roles.

Jim Frederick, the long-time assistant director and principal investigator for the USW’s Health, Safety and Environment Department, is helping to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Having one of our own, who understands our industries and our challenges, in a critical position safeguarding worker health and safety is excellent news for our union and working people everywhere.[13] The President’s appointments include many additional people who have been part of unions or worked with our union in the past.

USW health and safety priorities advance.

Nearly 5,000 workers in the U.S. are killed on the job each year, while an additional 100,000 die of occupational disease and millions are injured.[14] When laws to protect workers become outdated, government agencies can – but don’t always – add new scientific, economic or industry expertise to update them through the rulemaking process, resulting in new standards (a.k.a. regulations or rules).[15] A number of our priorities are currently moving forward, including rules that would protect workers covered by the Mine Safety and Health Administration from silica exposure; achieve new protections for workplace heat exposure; and address unsafe staffing levels in long-term care facilities, which protects both our health care workers and patients.[16],[17],[18] The process can be long. When final, these rules will save lives and prevent injuries. In a win for USW workers in oil refineries, chemical plants, and other workplaces utilizing significant volumes of chemicals, OSHA has updated their enforcement manual for process safety management for the first time since 1994.[19] 

Trade changes.

After significant USW involvement, a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement became law in early 2020. Labor reforms in Mexico were written into the revised agreement – now called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In February 2022, thousands of workers at the Mexico’s largest General Motors plant utilized this change in policy as they won a historic vote to elect an independent union. This marks a break from a tradition of corrupt unions tied to elites who cut deals with corporations to keep wages and benefits low. It was the first such election under the USMCA, and an example of how trade can lift up workers, rather than fuel a race to the bottom. Our union lent support to the fight.[20]