23 Jul Union Members Mobilize for Passage of the HEROES Act, Condemn Congress for Ending $600 COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits

The BCTGM, together with the AFL-CIO and its other affiliates, condemn Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his body’s failure to pass the HEROES Act, deepening economic hardship for millions, especially those who will lose the additional $600 in unemployment insurance benefits expiring at the end of the month.

For months, millions of laid-off American workers have relied on these increased weekly supplemental benefits to pay the bills and stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The termination of this benefit will have devastating impacts on the economy and America’s workers.

Responding to the Senate’s failure to act, the labor movement has been mobilizing in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico to pass the HEROES Act. On June 17, thousands of union members across the nation took an action of some kind. This groundswell has only grown as the COVID-19 crisis has worsened in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, BCTGM members were among the nearly 20,000 callers who flooded into Senate offices to demand passage of the HEROES Act. In the days to come, actions will continue, with worker-led conversations with senators over Zoom, plus car caravans and rallies planned in Florida, Iowa and Tennessee, among others.

The HEROES Act includes an effective, comprehensive solution to the multiemployer pension funding crisis that would provide long-term security for pension funds, including the B&C Fund, and for beneficiaries.

It is critical that Senators hear from BCTGM members, retirees and their families right now and tell them to pass the HEROES Act! This legislation offers the best opportunity for a legitimate, comprehensive legislative solution to the multiemployer funding crisis.