Silver Spring, MD – Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President John Costa released the following statement regarding President Biden’s first State of the Union address.
“Tonight, President Biden laid out a clear vision to build a better America. With the help of the ATU, President Biden ran for office and won with the message of growing our economy “from the bottom up and middle out,” ensuring that nobody gets left behind. The Biden-Harris administration has done so by delivering historic results for the American people, including the fastest job growth in American history.
“Moving forward, there is still so much work to do. As the President explained, part of ensuring a resilient and sustainable economy will be to eliminate barriers to good-paying jobs by building and buying in America. That also means every worker has the choice to organize and join a union and the right to collectively bargain without coercion or intimidation. We join the President in calling for Congress to immediately pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act to make certain that every worker who wants to join a union can.
“The President also outlined the importance of expanding skills-based hiring and increasing access to registered apprenticeships and training. The ATU has been at the forefront of apprenticeships in the transit industry to prepare workers for the transition to zero-emission vehicles, including fighting for a historic investment in public transit, improving commutes for Americans across the country, and fighting climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions.
“We applaud President Biden for restoring his commitment to creating pathways to the middle class for all Americans. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration to guarantee that working people, the backbone of our economy, are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“On the world’s stage, the ATU also stands with President Biden in condemning the senseless attacks by Russia on the Ukrainian people. We call for an end to this aggressive and unprovoked war. Every person deserves to be free from violence, and as a society, we must come together to safeguard against these kinds of assaults and condemn them in every way possible.
“Thank you to President Biden for reestablishing our alliances around the world in the struggle for democracy and setting the course for our future.”