Harris created more jobs | United Steelworkers

Posted: August 16, 2024

Anthony Vergara took a job at Gallo Glass's plant in Modesto, California years ago because it offered good wages, family-sustaining benefits and the support of coworkers who shared his commitment to building a stronger community.

Together, they have recovered from a series of fires, withstood global competition and overcome other challenges to keep America's largest glass container factory running around the clock.

While they are proud to have helped drive Modesto's current prosperity, he and 700 other members of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 17M union understand that only a fundamental “restart” can ensure the plant's long-term survival in a global, highly competitive and ever-changing industry, Vergara said.

Fortunately, they can now take this path thanks to cutting-edge technology funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Two years ago, Vice President Kamala Harris's vote in the Senate was decisive in passing the IRA and releasing billions for an advanced manufacturing economy.

Not a single Republican in either house of Congress voted for this historic bill, which is revolutionizing the cement, chemical, glass and steel industries, as well as other traditional core industries.

IRA-funded projects increase efficiency, reduce costs and strengthen supply chains, improving the country's ability to produce the goods needed for domestic consumption and international trade.

JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, made statements during the campaign that indicate that he neither understands the IRA nor knows what it does.

But the working people of America understand it.

The IRA has created more than 170,000 jobs domestically to date. And it is expected to create at least 1.5 million more jobs in the coming years, including dozens of new positions at the Gallo plant under a Department of Energy (DOE) demonstration grant program, also funded in part by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

In April, the Department of Energy awarded Gallo up to $75 million to build a new hybrid electric-gas furnace that will run on locally generated renewable energy.

The furnace will reduce emissions, cut costs and increase the use of recycled materials in the manufacturing process. And it will help ensure that the factory – where workers make bottles for wine, olive oil, mineral water and other products – remains profitable and competitive for generations to come.

“It's exciting to look to the future and see what it will look like,” said Vergara, president of Local 17M, noting that lower emissions will help make Modesto a better community to live in.

“We live here,” Vergara said of the USW members. “We raise our children here. None of us work for any reason other than to provide for our families.”

Not only will the new furnace create additional jobs, it will also save Gallo money and give the union more bargaining power in the next round of negotiations, Vergara noted. Equally important, the project will strengthen union members' solidarity with the community by involving local schools and community groups in job training and glass recycling initiatives.

The investments in Modesto and other parts of California reflect the IRA's impact on the rest of the country. For example, the Energy Department is providing millions for similar capital improvements at the OI and Libbey glass factories in Ohio, Vance's home state.

The company is also providing up to $550 million to build two electric smelting furnaces at the Cleveland Cliffs complex in Middletown, Ohio, Vance's hometown. The goal of the project is to dramatically reduce emissions while strengthening America's position as the most efficient and highest-quality steel producer in the world.

This project alone will create hundreds of construction jobs and nearly 200 permanent jobs while helping to maintain demand for iron ore produced by USW members working at mines in Michigan and Minnesota.

“It's critical that steel and other products be made in this country,” noted Ronnie “Pup” Wardrup, a member of the board of directors of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR). He worked at a steel slitting plant in Middletown and recalled suffering numerous layoffs during the industry downturn in the 1980s.

While Vance talks about the need to provide a better future for communities like Middletown, Wardrup said, Harris and the IRA are already doing just that.

That's why more and more mayors in Ohio, Republican and Democrat alike, are boasting about what they can accomplish with the IRA. And even the Republicans in Congress who refused to support the bill two years ago – an obstructionism that led Harris to step forward and cast her deciding vote – are now supporting the IRA because of the way it changes their constituencies.

“To me, that says about Biden and Harris that they are focused on what matters most – creating jobs,” Wardrup said. “They are pretty focused on that effort. The Inflation Control Act is just one example of that.”

While the IRA is building core industries, it is also strengthening America's position in solar and wind power, electric mobility and other new sectors, creating even more jobs.

In Ravenswood, West Virginia, for example, the Department of Energy announced this spring that it would provide up to $75 million for the first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art aluminum foundry at the Constellium complex, which employs members of USW Local 5668.

At the same time, USW construction workers are currently helping to build a new titanium ingot factory in Ravenswood, which will be powered by a solar field – another project made possible by the IRA.

“People are going to come here,” said Dave Martin, a USW activist and chairman of the Mason-Jackson-Roane Labor Council, referring to the IRA-fueled demand for workers and suppliers.

“They're going to spend money in the area,” he continued. “It's a big change for the local economy. It's making a comeback.”