Sánchez Joins Southwest Carpenters to Review Pre-Apprenticeship Programs Benefiting Women and the Formerly Incarcerated and Tour Infrastructure Jobsite

WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA) visited the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (SWRCC) to highlight how the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will invest in projects that will rebuild our communities and create good-paying, union jobs. The BIL will deliver more than $40 billion to California to upgrade roads and bridges, water and transportation systems, and expand broadband access and EV charging networks to all communities.

Click here for usable pictures from the site visits in Whittier and Pico Rivera.

The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (SWRCC) hosted Congresswoman Sánchez at the Southwest Carpenters Training Center in Whittier to review BOOTS and Brothers' Keeper Pre-Apprenticeship classes, programs benefiting women and the formerly incarcerated. Both programs are free 4-week programs designed to introduce women and disadvantaged people to a career as a Union Carpenter.

"The recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest in job training centers and apprenticeship programs like the ones we saw here today. That means good-paying jobs for the next generation of Californians," said Congresswoman Sánchez. "For workers in today's market, earning a nationally recognized credential through a registered apprenticeship leads not only to high-paying jobs but to opportunities for career advancement. Yet for too long, women, people of color, and workers with disabilities have been excluded from these jobs. The reforms in the infrastructure bill will help California invest in programs just like the BOOTS and Brothers' Keeper Pre-Apprenticeship classes we saw today with the Carpenters."

One of the Union Carpenter Apprentices who met with Congresswoman Sánchez said: "I was at a crossroads in my life, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next. I am a single mother, so I needed to find a career that paid well enough to take care of my child. A friend told me about the BOOTS program, and I signed up for it as soon as I could. I am now a Union Carpenter Apprentice making great pay and I have benefits for both myself and my daughter. "

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will create opportunities for working, union families in California rebuilding roads and bridges, upgrading schools and buildings, expanding transit, and creating more resilient energy and water systems. Investments from this law will create jobs that meet prevailing wage standards as well as help fund the creation of registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.

Later that day, Congresswoman Sánchez also visited a Union Pacific Jobsite in Pico Rivera. The project puts Union Carpenters to work separating the roadway and the railroad tracks on Durfee Avenue in Pico Rivera. This will be a widely used railway bridge transporting goods in and out of Los Angeles.

Click here for usable pictures from the site visits in Whittier and Pico Rivera.

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