Budzinski urges grants for pro-union contracts

By ELIZABETH DONALD
Illinois Correspondent

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski continues to advocate for Labor with a letter urging grants for pro-union contracts.

Budzinski (D-IL) and U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) led a letter with four others urging the U.S. Department of Energy to prioritize federal grants for projects sustaining union jobs.

“Right now, companies like U.S. Steel are trying to take advantage of federal grants in states with weak Labor standards as they consider cutting good-paying jobs in places like Granite City,” Budzinski said.

“We need to make sure that our agencies are prioritizing projects that will create and sustain good-paying union jobs in our communities.”

Budzinski said that’s why she was proud to lead the Climate Jobs Task Force under the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. Budzinski launched the taskforce in February, co-chairing with DeSaulnier and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR).

Last month, Budzinski advocated for the Granite City steelworkers by questioning U.S. Steel’s senior vice president before the Congressional Steel Caucus about the proposal to sell the Granite City plant to SunCoke Energy, putting 1,000 workers out of a job.

‘GOOD JOBS PRINCIPLES’
The letter focused on funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, calling on the Department of Energy to apply the Department of Labor’s “Good Jobs Principles” and heavily consider applicants’ plans to engage with Labor and the community.

“As companies begin to put together proposals for DOE to consider, we share a concern that corporations applying for grants will attempt to move manufacturing capacity to (so-called) ‘right-to-work’ states to decrease labor costs and minimize workers’ ability to collectively bargain, while also pursuing funding opportunities from the United States government,” the letter read.

“These types of actions undermine the economic goals of passing these monumental infrastructure and energy bills, as their purpose is to lift up communities across the country who should benefit from quality jobs… If an applicant is purposefully moving locations and subsequently accountability to workers, this should be factored into funding coming out of DOE programs.”

While the two programs were characterized as “landmark policy victories” in the letter, the Good Jobs principles were needed to achieve the goal of bringing their benefits to workers and communities, according to the letter.

The goal of the Climate Jobs Task Force is to advocate for pro-worker, pro-environment policies and bring both Labor and environmental groups to the table for climate solutions. Budzinski maintained that transitioning to clean energy makes it essential to create good-paying union jobs as well as promoting stronger workplace protections and ensuring that legacy energy workers receive the proper resources and attention as the energy industry shifts.