Above: Gottheimer joined by North Jersey labor leaders.

PARAMUS, NJ — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) brought together North Jersey labor leaders to discuss ongoing work to support Jersey’s different workforces.

“The hard-working brothers and sisters of labor have helped build our great state, our country, and have helped create the most competitive workforce in the world,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We all stand together in the fight for better wages, safer working conditions, more job opportunities, and health care and greater benefits for so many. We have a common goal: the desire to make things better for our hard-working labor force, to gain dignity and respect on the job, and to create economic security for the families we care so deeply about.”

Gottheimer was joined at the roundtable by American Nurses Association of NJ CEO Judy Schmidt and President Mary Ellen Levine, Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Local 4  representative Ron Green, Michael Pierce of the Carpenters Local 253, FMBA President Eddie Donnelly, FMBA Bulletin Editor John Hund, AFL-CIO NJ President Charlie Wowkanech, Health Professionals & Allied Employees (HPAE) Statewide Vice-President Barbara Rosen and Executive Director Chris Whalen, IBEW Local #164 Business Manager/Financial Secretary Dan Gumble, IBEW Local #164 President/Commissioner Tom Sullivan, IBEW Local #164 Executive Board Member Christopher Larson, IBEW Local #164 member Jason Reiser, IBEW Local #164 Organizer Kevin Marion, Bergen County Education Association President Sue McBride, Operating Engineers 825 Business Agent Cesar Gamio, Operating Engineers 825 Community Affairs Director Daniel Ortega, Pipefitters Local 274 Business Agent Ed Driscoll, Joe Melahn of the Sheet Metal Workers Local 25, Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation Union Local 25 Organizer Gregory Conte, Sprinklerfitters Local 696 Business Agent Scott LaMorticella, JC Farmer of Local 32, Robert Perterson of the National Association of  Letter Carriers, Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna, Anthony Tarantino of the Professional Firemen’s Association of New Jersey, and Donald Heal of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 

Gottheimer is fighting to support Jersey’s workforce by:

Shaping and passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to boost construction and manufacturing jobs — which will fix our crumbling roads and bridges, build the Gateway Train Tunnel, invest in NJ Transit, clean our drinking water in our homes and schools, and create millions of jobs a year for the next decade — all without increasing the tax burden on North Jersey families. This bipartisan legislation will create hundreds of thousands of construction and manufacturing jobs.

Passing the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing — critical legislation to invest in American competitiveness and address major supply chain issues. This bipartisan bill will boost domestic manufacturing, accelerate U.S. production of semiconductor chips and related equipment, reduce our reliance on foreign countries like China, and help lower costs for North Jersey families and small businesses, all while creating new jobs here in the U.S. It is estimated that the CHIPS and Science Act will create tens of thousands of construction jobs and thousands of high-skilled manufacturing jobs.

Making life more affordable for Jersey families and workers — by launching an Affordability Agenda for Jersey, with action we can take right now to help our families and small businesses with the COVID-driven impact on our economy and to get more money back into Jersey families’ pockets. It includes aggressively addressing our COVID-driven supply chain crisis, including with new supply chain legislation, the bipartisan COVID-19 Supply Chain Relief Act. Gottheimer recently announced that the Inflation Reduction Act will cap the cost of insulin under Medicare at $35 per month for 5,700 residents from the Fifth District and more than 77,000 residents across New Jersey. 

Helping lower taxes for North Jersey families — by clawing back our federal tax dollars to Jersey from Washington, helping to lower our property taxes, to make life more affordable and safer, and to improve our communities. New Jersey’s Fifth District has clawed 357% more federal tax dollars back from Washington and the Moocher States since Gottheimer took  office. For 2021 alone, the federal tax dollars clawed back amount to an average savings of more than $750 for each household in the Fifth District. Through Gottheimer’s work with mayors, councils, first responders, and nonprofits, the Fifth District has realized a far better Return on Investment on the tax dollars North Jersey residents send to Washington every year.

Lowering the cost for prescription drugs and health care — The Inflation Reduction Act was recently signed into law, which will lower prescription drug prices — especially for seniors, cap annual out-of-pocket prescription costs at $2,000 under Medicare, cap the cost of insulin at $35-per-month for Medicare, and provide support for families struggling with the high cost of health insurance.

Supporting educators and students — by helping ensure there is clean water to drink in our schools, improving and expanding broadband coverage, and improving access to mental health care. A key provision of Gottheimer’s bipartisan Lead Free Schools Act was enacted into law, creating a targeted pilot program with existing resources to improve drinking water infrastructure in schools nationwide with lead in their water. Gottheimer has also clawed back federal investment from the American Rescue Plan to help improve school safety and security — by ensuring our law enforcement have accessible digital blueprints of every school in the state. Gottheimer is also calling on Congress to extend federally-provided school breakfast and lunch for all students in the upcoming government budget vote — so that no student goes through their school day hungry.

Below: Gottheimer joined by North Jersey labor leaders.

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