WASHINGTON — Sean McGarvey, president, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) issued the following statement commending the passage of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act:

“For years, NABTU, its affiliated unions, and its members have urged both Congress and the administration to pass a broad-scoped, robustly funded infrastructure package with strong labor standards to ensure that as we rebuild American infrastructure, we rebuild American communities by providing job and training opportunities to workers and their families. The Moving Forward Act meets these goals aggressively.

“NABTU applauds Speaker Pelosi for moving forward this long-awaited, and desperately-needed infrastructure agenda. We commend the commitment to local prevailing wage rates and those who demonstrated that infrastructure is not a partisan issue or political issue, but an American issue with broad support, and a policy we should advance to strengthen us globally.

“I also want to thank the bipartisan group of mho resoundingly defeated an amendment that would have stripped Davis-Bacon labor protections from millions of construction workers. In a time of economic uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, an effort to reduce the wages and benefits of those who literally build our nation is simply cruel. I want to specifically thank Chairman DeFazio, Congressman Jeffries, Congresswoman Finkenauer, Congressman Norcross, Congressman Rose [NY], and Congressman Kildee as well as Congressman McKinley for their vigorous defense of the wages and benefits of construction workers across the nation.

“The over 3 million skilled craft professionals that comprise North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), and who work and reside in almost every Congressional District across this great nation, find this bill critically essential to guarantee the economic recovery, support today’s vote, and are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure all Americans enjoy the resulting prosperity delivered by the Moving Forward Act.

“A strong national infrastructure is indeed the foundation for economic growth in large and small communities across our nation. This legislation will fund meaningful, greatly needed infrastructure investments while also creating millions of middle-class job opportunities — especially for women, communities of color, and military veterans — and will lead to economic development in communities that desperately need it. The $1.5 trillion in funding this bill provides will touch every facet of American infrastructure from roads and bridges to municipal water systems, schools, energy, housing, transit, broadband, aviation, and rail in both urban and rural areas of the country and will lay the foundation for a long-term economic recovery as we emerge from the current COVID-19 economy. We look forward to helping advance these improvements and modernization in infrastructure and labor protections for all.”

For more information, visit www.nabtu.org.