Infrastructure Act's Success Under Threat From Anti-Worker Policies

In Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer launched her America at Work listening tour on April 5, 2025, surrounded by union leaders, local officials, and a freshman congressman. The scene was earnest, a roundtable buzzing with talk of apprenticeships, infrastructure, and support for transitioning service members. She promised to amplify the voices of workers long ignored by Washington’s elite. It’s a noble pitch, one that tugs at the heart of anyone who’s punched a clock or worn a uniform. But beneath the warm words lies a stark reality: promises don’t fill empty stomachs or mend broken systems.

Workers across Northeastern Pennsylvania laid it bare. They need more than photo ops and platitudes. Electricians, ironworkers, and boilermakers spoke of skills honed through years of grit, yet they face a federal landscape increasingly hostile to their unions. Veterans shared stories of returning home to a job market that doesn’t understand their sacrifice. The Secretary’s tour might spotlight these struggles, but without bold action, it’s just noise, a hollow echo in a country desperate for substance.

This isn’t about cynicism; it’s about urgency. America’s workforce stands at a crossroads. Decades of underinvestment and anti-worker policies have frayed the threads of opportunity. The question isn’t whether Chavez-DeRemer heard the pleas in Nanticoke. It’s whether she’ll fight for the people she met or let their stories fade into the next news cycle.

The roundtable in Nanticoke showcased union workers who build the backbone of this nation, from bridges to power grids. These are the hands that turn blueprints into reality, yet their voices are under attack. The Trump administration’s recent executive order stripped collective bargaining rights from federal employees across 30 agencies. Advocates for fair wages and safe conditions call it a gut punch, a deliberate silencing of those who keep America running. Supporters of the move, like backers of the Federal Workforce Freedom Act, claim it boosts productivity. But at what cost? Workers stripped of representation aren’t more efficient; they’re more expendable.

History tells a different story. Since President Kennedy granted federal employees bargaining rights in 1962, unions have fought for dignity on the job. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 cemented that legacy, ensuring grievances end in binding arbitration, not management’s whim. Today’s rollbacks unravel that progress, leaving workers exposed. In Pennsylvania, union leaders didn’t mince words: apprenticeships thrive because of structured training and fair pay, both rooted in collective bargaining. Without it, the skilled trades crumble, and with them, the infrastructure projects we desperately need.

Look at the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Its $1.2 trillion fueled over 60,000 projects, many powered by union labor. Roads got rebuilt, broadband reached rural homes, and local economies hummed. Union agreements ensured quality and stability, proving their worth. Dismantling that framework doesn’t modernize labor policy; it guts it. Workers deserve a seat at the table, not a gag order.

Transitioning service members got a nod in Nanticoke, and rightly so. They’ve served with honor, only to return to a civilian world that too often fails them. The Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program, mandated since 1991, offers counseling a year before discharge. Yet gaps persist. Junior enlisted personnel slip through cracks, and the first year post-service remains a suicide risk hotspot. In 2024, the VA poured $4 million into employment grants for veterans and their spouses. It’s a start, but it’s not enough when the American Society of Civil Engineers warns of a $3.7 trillion infrastructure gap looming over the next decade.

Apprenticeships could be a lifeline, blending hands-on skills with steady pay. Businesses see the payoff: lower turnover, higher satisfaction, even fatter profits. Programs have stretched into IT and agriculture, partnering with giants like John Deere. But equity lags. Underrepresented groups, including veterans of color or those with disabilities, struggle to break in. In Nanticoke, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers showed what’s possible, training workers who power our grid. Scale that up, fund it right, and you’ve got a workforce that lifts everyone. Instead, we get tours and tepid nods while the real fix, bold investment, sits on the shelf.

Opponents argue apprenticeships and veteran support cost too much, that deregulation drives growth faster. Tell that to the family saving $700 a year thanks to the IIJA’s efficiency gains. Tell that to the vet who can’t find a job because TAP didn’t deliver. Short-term cuts don’t build a future; they erode it. Workers and veterans aren’t asking for handouts. They’re asking for a fair shot, something this administration seems reluctant to guarantee.

Chavez-DeRemer’s tour will roll on, collecting stories from coast to coast. That’s fine, even admirable. But America’s workers can’t live on empathy alone. Union rights need defending, not dismantling. Veterans need bridges to civilian life, not just applause for their service. Apprenticeships need funding and access, not sporadic praise. The Secretary claims she’s amplifying the forgotten. Prove it. Turn those voices into policy that sticks, not a campaign trail footnote.

This nation has rebuilt before. The New Deal lifted us from despair. The Interstate Highway System stitched us together. Today’s stakes are just as high. Infrastructure crumbling, workers sidelined, veterans adrift, these aren’t abstract issues. They’re people, families, communities. Nanticoke was a start, but it’s action, not listening, that will write the next chapter. Anything less betrays the very workforce this tour claims to champion.