Reconciliation can be a game changer for pro-worker policies

David Madland argues that the Inflation Reduction Act has opened the door for future pro-worker policies to pass through the budget reconciliation process.

Building an Economy for All, Inflation Reduction Act, Unions, Wages, Worker Rights, Workforce Development +3 More

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) does many valuable things: It reduces prescription drug prices, combats climate change and makes corporations pay a minimum tax. One of the more consequential and lasting impacts of the new law, however, could be that it highlights how Congress can move forward with pro-worker legislation. Until the Senate filibuster is reformed, the most likely path for Congress to support workers and their labor unions lies with budget reconciliation — the process used to pass the IRA with a simple majority in the Senate.

Creating good jobs — those that pay well and offer decent benefits — is central to the purpose of the IRA. As President Biden remarked earlier this month, the new law will “create thousands of good-paying jobs, apprenticeship opportunities and manufacturing jobs for clean energy construction projects, solar projects, wind projects, clean hydrogen projects, carbon capture projects and so much more.”

The above excerpt was originally published in The Hill. Click here to view the full article.

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