Silver Spring, MD – Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President John Costa released the following statement regarding President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address.
“In the past two years, President Biden has created more jobs than any other president in American history. This is after entering office with the early support of the ATU when our economy was in crisis. President Biden not only led us through a pandemic, but he oversaw a historic recovery that stands to benefit workers and families for years to come.
“Under President Biden, our economy has created more than twelve million jobs and ushered in a 54-year low unemployment rate, with near record lows for Black and Hispanic workers. These jobs to a community, an individual, and a family have been life-changing.
“Along with record-breaking job creation, policies implemented by the Biden Administration intended to help workers have left them more economically secure than before the pandemic. Child poverty was at a historic low in 2021, and families now have the breathing room they need to advance their lives.
“In his State of the Union, President Biden also outlined the historic investment in public transit and our nation’s infrastructure his administration has made under the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, which the ATU helped get passed. In fact, his economic plan includes the most significant upgrade to our nation’s infrastructure in generations. Equally important, President Biden is also ensuring that everything from zero-emission buses to bridges to rail cars are made here in America.
“We join the President in calling for Congress to immediately pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to ensure every worker has the choice to organize, join a union, and collectively bargain for a fair living wage to provide for their families.
“The Biden Administration has also put more money in our pockets by lowering health care costs, including prescription drug prices. This is just one of the ways President Biden is sticking up for everyday Americans, including making large corporations and billionaires finally pay their fair share in taxes.
“The American people want stability and leadership, and that’s what the Biden Administration has delivered over the past two years. We must keep moving forward and continue providing meaningful change for working people and their families. Thank you to the Biden Administration for keeping your promises to the American people and putting workers’ rights in the national spotlight. Now is the time, as President Biden said, to ‘finish the job.’”