Marc Ellis is President of the Communication Workers of America Local 9413 in Sparks, Nevada, Which Will Get Nevada Connected as Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced today that Marc Ellis, President of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 9413 in Northern Nevada, will be attending the State of the Union virtually as her guest from Sparks. Federal funds for broadband deployment will create good-paying jobs for the union workers in Nevada whom Ellis represents.
As part of the bipartisan group of 22 Senators who negotiated and drafted the final Bipartisan Infrastructure Law last year, Senator Rosen helped write the broadband section of the bill and championed provisions that will support skilled union workers in the telecommunications industry and prioritize funding for responsible employers with high labor standards.
“Nevada’s economy is powered by hardworking union members. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I helped draft and pass is going to help create thousands more good-paying union jobs for our state while expanding high-speed internet to more communities,” said Senator Rosen. “Highly skilled telecommunications workers, like the union men and women of Local 9413, will be the ones deploying these broadband projects on the ground across our state. I’m proud to have Marc Ellis join me as my virtual guest for this year’s State of the Union, and I look forward to hearing from him about how the historic investments we’re making in broadband will be a game-changer for communities across Nevada. ”
“Experienced, trained telecommunications workers — like the union members of Communications Workers of America Local 9413 — are going to play a critical role in building out and modernizing our broadband network in Northern Nevada and across the country, thanks to Senator Jacky Rosen’s work on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Marc Ellis, President of Communications Workers of America Local 9413. “Senator Rosen has been a champion in the effort to support good-paying union jobs and expand access to affordable high-speed internet for Nevadans who need better, more reliable service. I’m honored to join Senator Rosen as her virtual guest for the State of the Union, and look forward to working alongside her to make sure more families in our state have access to broadband.”
Senator Rosen has been a fighter for expanding broadband access in Nevada. She helped write the broadband section of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is delivering a historic $65 billion across the country to make high-speed internet available and affordable for all Americans. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes her Middle Mile Broadband Deployment Act, which will invest $1 billion in broadband infrastructure to connect internet carriers to local networks and community institutions in order to increase broadband access to unserved and underserved communities.
Most of the infrastructure funding will be subject to prevailing wage protections that Senator Rosen championed. This means that contractors will have to pay workers a fair wage that is competitive in local markets. The new law is poised to create an estimated 140,000 good-paying jobs in Nevada.
Senator Rosen is also a co-sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen federal protections for workers’ right to organize and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions.
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