Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress:
More than any of his recent predecessors, President Biden understands we are at a crossroads. A deadly pandemic has laid bare the systemic inequalities that have prevented too many working families from realizing the American Dream. Any just recovery will require structural changes to our economy, a fundamental strengthening of our democracy and unprecedented federal investments in the communities that have lost the most.
That means creating good-paying union jobs to rebuild our country’s capacity to provide for its people—from fixing our roads and modernizing our energy grid to educating our kids and caring for our grandparents. And it means restoring the balance of power in our workplaces by passing the PRO Act.
Tonight, President Biden laid out the path ahead. Now, it’s time for Congress to turn those words into reality for millions of working families. If our leaders fail to act, the suffering of the past decades will only get worse. But if the majorities we elected deliver the generational change America needs, we can emerge from this crisis stronger than before.
Contact: John Weber (202) 637-5018