WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) delivered remarks at the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Legislative-Political Conference, where he shared his vision for building an economy that rewards work and ensures the next generation of Americans can get ahead.
Watch Senator Gallego’s full remarks HERE.
Read excerpts from his remarks below:
On Why Unions Matter
“And I can tell you that, you know, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins that were in the unions on construction sites were the ones that were doing well, that were treated well, the ones that had guaranteed hours, guaranteed pay, and weren’t going to get ripped off by the boss… And even as a teenager, I understood that power, and thanks to those jobs, my uncles, cousins all have a middle-class life…That is a real example of the American dream, where you know you can work every day your heart out for your family, and yet you still have the opportunity to breathe a little, save a little, take a little vacation, and actually care about yourself first and not your job.”
Senator Gallego has a long history of fighting for unions, including supporting the PRO Act and introducing legislation to protect striking workers’ income and healthcare.
On Raising the Minimum Wage
“At a minimum, we need to move the minimum wage to 20 bucks an hour and peg it to inflation. This country has become the richest country in the world, continues to be the richest country in the world, and yet minimum wage has stayed at $7.25. We now have people that are about to be trillionaires in the same time period that a man or woman is making barely $7.25. I know that’s not in all states, but it does matter.”
In February, Senator Gallego introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour.
On Blue Collar Jobs
“We need to create more and true, real blue-collar jobs that are going to be able to survive the AI boom and actually pay you a wage. And let’s be clear, when the big riches come from the AI boom, the workers need to share in the riches…And these jobs need to exist not just in LA, not just in Chicago, but they need to be existing all over this country, so you could actually live where you want to be, grow your family there, and retire, and not have to move just to be able to afford this.”
As AI and new technologies continue to develop, Senator Gallego believes the government should have workers’ backs. That’s why today he announced his framework for rebuilding the middle class and is inviting Americans to share their feedback.