The iron card is the answer to a growing labor shortage nearly four years ago, former President Biden signed into law a massive infrastructure bill, yet much of the money remains on paper. Bridges, roads and transmission lines wait not for permits or political decisions, but for manpower. From electricians and welders to dam inspectors, the skilled workers needed to build are retiring far faster than the pace of replacement, and many projects face staff shortages and budget overruns before construction has even begun. An Industry Association estimates that the construction industry will need to add about 500,000 workers this year alone and hundreds of thousands more next year even if demand for projects is not fully released.
We need a quick, pragmatic solution that respects American labor, guarantees wages, and actually delivers. I propose a“Iron Card” for the working class: recruiting and training immigrants to fill critical infrastructure jobs, and training American workers. Legal immigrants can quickly gain permanent residency and citizenship if they take an oath of obedience, pass a background security check and pay their taxes on time. The project could be jointly supervised by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor to ensure the integrity of the immigration system and fair labor standards.
There is a severe shortage of workers in the United States. Electricians, for example, are aging as demand for electric-vehicle charging stations, data centers and the modernization of the power grid surges. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that about 80,000 new electricians will be needed every year for the next decade, most of whom will only be able to fill retirement vacancies. Many projects have stalled because of a shortage of licensed professionals, and there is no American workforce available to replace them.
In 2021, Congress approved $550 billion in new federal infrastructure investments. Money is crucial, but dollars do not pour concrete or wire themselves. Without a workforce, states face idle funds and delays. This is even more of a homeland security priority. More than 16,700 dams in the United States are classified as at risk, thousands of which are in poor or substandard condition. A quarter of delay in maintenance due to a lack of technical teams increases the risk to downstream communities by one point.
Critics argue that“Americans should be trained rather than dependent on immigrants”. But the card was designed to complement, not replace, American workers: first, there was a two-track training system, in which every“Card” worker recruited had to be given a place to sponsor an American citizen. Second, strict enforcement of the wage floor system, in which participants must work on projects that comply with current federal wage laws, workplace protection laws, and state licensing requirements, this means fair pay, site safety and certification. Third, there are targeted services where needed, with participants pledging to serve in designated key projects and areas, such as rural broadband construction, fire-resistant transmission line upgrades or dam rehabilitation. Finally, the use of services for identity, 5-year non-violation service record, pay taxes and maintain certification, you can get a fast“Rail card” and Naturalization Channel.
Transcontinental railways, skyscrapers and highways are built by indigenous and migrant workers with clear rules and common goals. The“Iron Card” may renew this contract in the new century. By Jessie hanpal, US Air Force officer