Washington, D.C. — On January 31, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET, the Center for American Progress and North America’s Building Trades Unions will welcome Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh and a distinguished panel of innovative policymakers and leading labor voices for a discussion on efforts to ensure equity in the infrastructure workforce.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a once-in-a-generation piece of legislation, estimated to create almost 800,000 jobs annually over the course of 10 years—primarily meaningful, family-sustaining work in construction and skilled trades. The largest infrastructure investment in decades must take steps to ensure access to good jobs for underrepresented workers, including women and communities of color.
As infrastructure dollars roll out to the states, efforts to ensure a diverse workforce must be two-pronged: Supply-side efforts recruit and train a diverse workforce, and demand-side efforts ensure that contractors hire and retain diverse workers. One particularly promising practice is the expansion and diversification of apprenticeship programs, which can expand pipelines into building trades professions.
Please join CAP and the NABTU for this timely discussion on how policymakers can ensure that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act creates good jobs that support workers who have historically been underrepresented in infrastructure and building projects.
WHO:
Keynote remarks:
Secretary Martin J. Walsh, U.S. Department of Labor
Panelists:
Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building Trades Unions
Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO
Delegate Melissa Wells (D-MD), Maryland House of Delegates
Mayor Randall L. Woodfin (D), Birmingham, Alabama
Moderator:
Patrick Gaspard, President and CEO, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
Monday, January 31, 2022
1 p.m. ET
WHERE:
You must RSVP to watch the livestream event by clicking this link. An email will then be sent with instructions on how to watch.
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected].