Reported by Max Parrott for Labor Press
When labor leaders gathered at the Labor Press-organized “High-Speed Rail Construction” conference Sept. 5 to discuss expanding the future of rail on a national scale, the conversation focused on how pivotal the next few years will be for the future of the industry.
Whether it’s projects in the works like the Brightline West project between Las Vegas and Southern California, California’s High Desert Corridor or the proposed Texas Central high-speed rail, labor leaders agreed the first instances of high-speed rail are going to showcase its promise and organized labor’s key role
Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department with AFL-CIO, underscored the impact of labor’s advocacy in the California projects, where The U.S. Transportation Department awarded $3 billion for Brightline West and $3.07 billion to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles.
“The fact that we were able to go in there and sign these agreements and deliver, and I’m talking about again, $6.2 billion, that doesn’t happen without a full-throated labor movement behind the project,” said Regan.