Voters Support Strong Labor Standards for IIJA Jobs
By Lew Blank and Bella Kumar
In November 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (formerly called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework). This legislation will invest $550 billion in transit and rail networks, roads and bridges, broadband, and environmental resiliency, and create good-paying jobs across the country.
New polling from Data for Progress shows that voters support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) by a +40-point margin. This includes Democrats by a +81-point margin and Independents by a +43-point margin.
Voters across the board support strong labor standards for jobs created by the IIJA. Among voters:
90 percent support providing workplace safety protections
87 percent support providing job training opportunities
86 percent support paying a livable wage
84 percent support providing strong protections against workplace discrimination
79 percent support offering paid family and medical leave
62 percent support allowing workers to form unions and negotiate for higher pay and better benefits
We also find the majority of voters agree that the federal government should impose rules and regulations to ensure that IIJA jobs have strong labor standards. The majority of voters think regulation of labor standards is important by a +35-point margin, including Democrats by a +69-point margin, Independents by a +36-point margin, and more than a third of Republicans.
Overall, voters support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as well as its strong labor standard provisions. It is now Congress’ responsibility to deliver a safer, more just environment for working Americans.
Lew Blank (@lewblank) is a senior writer at Data for Progress.
Bella Kumar (@bellakkumar) is a communications intern at Data for Progress.