Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, jkamm@usw.org
PITTSBURGH – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway issued the following statement today in response to the announcements that President-elect Joe Biden nominated Jennifer Granholm to serve as Energy Secretary and would name Gina McCarthy to serve as White House Climate Coordinator.
“President-elect Joe Biden’s choices of Jennifer Granholm and Gina McCarthy to serve in his administration shows that he understands what’s at stake for working people as we seek to get the U.S. economy back on track.
“Both Granholm and McCarthy know that domestic manufacturing must be a priority and that it is necessary to balance environmental progress with preserving good-paying manufacturing jobs.
“Our union has worked closely with both appointees in the past through the BlueGreen Alliance (BGA) and other initiatives, and we are certain that they will keep American workers in the foreground as they begin their work.
“We are similarly confident that Ali Zaidi, Biden’s pick for Deputy White House Climate Coordinator, understands the intersection of good environmental policy and economic growth.
“Biden’s other choices, namely Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary, and Katherine Tai as United States Trade Representative, also reflect a pro-worker agenda.
“Yellen’s experience with the Federal Reserve, helping regrow our economy after the Great Recession, and Tai’s work to help ensure strong labor protections were a bedrock of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), suggest that they will continue prioritizing working people and their jobs.
“The Biden administration faces unique challenges as our country begins to put the Covid-19 pandemic behind us and we look to a future that ensures economic resiliency and shared prosperity. His nominees are well suited to the task.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.