Daniel Figueroa IV
Leaders from local labor unions joined U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor Monday to celebrate the signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and talk about its impacts on the Tampa Bay area.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion law the week before Thanksgiving. Castor said it’s a massive investment in the U.S. and especially benefits the Tampa Bay area.
“We know the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was just signed by President Biden a few weeks ago is the most historic investment of our generation in infrastructure in repairing our roadways, our bridges, our water systems and wastewater systems, improving transit that we desperately need here in the Tampa Bay area,” she said.
The new law will help advance and take advantage of ongoing programs in the area, including by working in concert with new apprenticeship programs in Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa, Castor said.
Castor is the chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and has for years championed electric vehicle usage in Tampa Bay. She has helped spur the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority’s acquisition of electric busses and has championed more electric vehicle charging stations throughout the city.
Shawn McDonnell is president of the West Central Florida Labor Council and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers. He called the law “great” and said it’s already working for the bay area. McDonnell said the law’s provisions for apprenticeship programs have allowed Tampa and Hillsborough County to capitalize on investments in clean-energy vehicles.
“We got out in front of the electric vehicle charging stations way ahead of time. Regardless of whether this passed or not, we were going to get out in front of it,” McDonnell said. “Our instructors are trained and our apprentices are already being trained on how to install these charging stations. So we’re ready to go now that it’s been passed. We’re training and certifying for installment.”
The trillion-dollar law had been one of Biden’s early administration promises and getting it passed was a hard fought battle.
The legislation will help ease inflationary pressures and strengthen supply chains by making long overdue improvements for our nation’s ports, airports, rail, and roads,” according to the White House website.
The law is expected to help create 1.5 million jobs every year over the next decade. It also includes income guidelines to ensure workers are paid. Jim Juneco of the International Union of Operating Engineers said that makes the new law a win for America’s middle class.
“This infrastructure bill is an investment into America’s workforce,” Juneco said. “It’s a middle class bill and as the unions and the building trade, that’s who we represent.”
Todd Vega, of the local Plumbers and Pipefitters union, said the infrastructure and workforce investments can help limit environmental disasters made worse by the combination of failing infrastructure and climate change. He said disasters such as Piney Point, which led to more than 200 million gallons of contaminated water being pumped into Tampa Bay, could be avoided in the future with the right investments under the law.
“These are things we need to do. There’s a lot of work to be done to get those up to par,” Vega said. “With the help of this bill, I know a lot of our community projects like that can be done. And with people who are trained to do these jobs, it can be done correctly.”
