Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement responding to today’s announcement of the Governor & Lt. Governor’s Local Jobs & Projects Plan:
Today’s Local Jobs & Projects Plan announcement shows that Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan are meeting the moment to address Minnesota’s jobs and infrastructure needs.
Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Minnesotans have a unique opportunity to leverage federal matching funds to make an unprecedented investment in our roads, bridges, addressing inequities in housing, and other critical infrastructure while creating tens of thousands of high-quality union construction jobs across the state.
No matter where Minnesotans live or what we look like, we will all benefit from infrastructure investments in our communities. Furthermore, high employment in the union construction sector has a ripple effect, putting money into local economies across Minnesota.
Infrastructure is an issue that cuts across partisan lines. We urge lawmakers to begin moving this plan when they return to St. Paul.