Ryan Charney of the IBEW union spoke up in support of Little Trout Solar farm near Rogers City, Michigan, a few years ago.
Union support was critical in getting this project permitted at that meeting. Major unions are now pushing back against Trump’s No Good, Horrible, Very Bad Bill, including IBEW.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers:
IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper issued the following statement on Senate Republicans’ draft reconciliation bill released Sunday night:
“This budget reconciliation bill is a direct attack on working families, shoveling tax breaks to the rich while turning its back on the people who power this country.
“The IBEW strongly opposes any proposal that guts infrastructure investment, especially plans like this one that sacrifice existing economic development while providing no clear benefit to working Americans. At a time when we should be investing in energy independence at home, this bill forces our economy to rely on foreign adversaries while dramatically increasing energy bills for every household and draining local communities of the jobs they rely on.
“Make no mistake, this bill will cost hundreds of thousands of good-paying construction jobs, billions of work hours, and hundreds of billions in lost wages and economic benefits to America’s middle class.
“IBEW members and every average American will pay the price as congressional Republicans abandon critical investments in American infrastructure and the energy independence they have been tripping over themselves to take credit for the last few years.
“That so many of these investments are in the rural areas and small towns left behind for generations is even more troubling.
“America’s working families deserve more.
“The IBEW urges Congress to fix or kill this appalling plan that asks working families to sacrifice their futures to enrich billionaires and their corporations.”