Labor, Management Partner to Create Jobs in Wash. State
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Here’s a bipartisan solution: Labor and management working together to create jobs.
In Washington State, where construction workers are experiencing up to 50 percent unemployment, a labor-management coalition is working to push a jobs bill through the state legislature to alleviate the jobs crisis and rebuild infrastructure.
The Washington State Labor Council, the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, the Association of General Contractors are sponsoring the Infrastructure Jobs Bond legislation and have released lists identifying which capital construction work around the state could be funded through the legislation.
Says Dave Myers, executive secretary of Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council:
These jobs will become a reality right away for thousands of laid off constructions workers and returning veterans. The projects will also be targeted toward key sectors of economic development including construction of aerospace training facilities and college research facilities, both of which will spin off other economic development.
Read more here.
Climate Change Battle Plan Must Include Workers, Communities, Investors, Enviros
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told more than 400 leading investors at the Investor Summit on Climate Risk & Energy Solutions at the United Nations today that “The American labor movement is in the problem-solving business—looking for profitable investment opportunities that address climate risk and create jobs.”
We’re looking for partners, and we’re already working with many of you here today directly and indirectly to move capital to profitable and productive purposes, to step forward in addressing climate risk.
Click here for a video of the summit.
Trumka proposed hosting a dialogue on the risks of climate change and the need to move forward in a way that ensures broadly shared prosperity and a sustainable future.
Addressing climate risk is not a distraction from solving our economic problems…addressing climate risk means retooling our world—it means that every factory and power plant, every home and office, every rail line and highway, every vehicle, locomotive and plane, every school and hospital, must be modernized, upgraded, renovated or replaced with something cleaner, more efficient, less wasteful.
Taking on the threat of climate change means putting investment capital to work creating jobs.
Check Out Video Clip of Ironworkers, IUPAT Rallying for Bridges, Jobs
The Ironworkers today send us this video of their action at the South Capitol Street Bridge in Washington D. C., with the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) during last week’s AFL-CIO’s Infrastructure Investment Day of Action. The actions highlighted dozens of bridges across the nation in desperate need of repair and called on Congress to put millions of Americans back to work rebuilding the nation’s crumbling bridges and roads.
Tens of Thousands Rally Nationwide for Bridge Repair, Job Creation
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From actions drawing thousands in major cities to those with dozens in smaller towns, working families, jobless workers, community members and Occupy activists across the nation yesterday marched and rallied at dozens of bridges in desperate need of repair and called on Congress put millions of Americans back to work rebuilding the nation’s crumbling bridges and roads.
The events were part of the AFL-CIO’s Infrastructure Investment Day of Action and the Occupy movement’s national day of action.
More than 1,000 Occupy St. Louis protestors, union members and retirees marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge where they unfurled a banner that read, “Build Roads and Bridges, Build Good Jobs.” Read the rest of this entry »
Find a Bridge Action Near You Nov. 17
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Rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure of roads, bridges and highways is a sure-fire way to create jobs and boost the economy. Thursday, Nov. 17, union members, community allies and jobless workers will take part in a national Infrastructure Investment Day of Action at dozens of bridge around the country that are in desperate need of repair.
Click here to find a bridge action near you.
Repairs on many of these of bridges could be on the way today, but congressional Republicans have twice blocked President Obama’s attempts to put America back to work repairing bridges, schools and other parts of the infrastructure–first when they filibustered the American Jobs Act and then when they blocked the Rebuild America Act. In addition, congressional Republicans have refused to move on the Surface Transportation Act.
Not only would an investment in infrastructure make critically needed repairs to roads and bridges, it would put millions of jobless Americans back on the job and help rebuild the middle class. Read the rest of this entry »
Senate Republicans Kill Rebuild America Act
For the third time in a month, Senate Republicans killed legislation which would have put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work. The 51-49 vote fell well short of the 60 votes needed to break their filibuster against the jobs-creating Rebuild America Act.
The legislation would have created jobs immediately by investing $50 billion to repair and rebuild the nation’s roads, rails and airports, establish a national infrastructure bank to fund a broad range of projects and asked millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. It also would have created an infrastructure bank to fund future projects.
AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) President Edward Wytkind says:
The legislation is overwhelmingly supported by the general public. And yet, proving once again they are out of touch with voters, Senate Republicans—in the face of a stalled economy—voted as a block to kill this jobs bill.
Americans once again saw their senators curry favor with millionaires and billionaires who are being asked in this legislation to pay a little more so our economy can turn around. Read the rest of this entry »
Infrastructure Investment in Aberdeen Builds Bridges and Economy
There are reams of reports, tons of studies and rivers of statistics that prove investments in infrastructure pay off in jobs and economic boosts to the communities. When more people have good paychecks in the pockets, they pump money into their local economies.
But it’s the up close and personal examples that can be the most convincing to anyone who doubts the economic wisdom of spending money to create jobs by rebuilding roads, bridges and schools.
Before Senators cast their voites on the Rebuild America Jobs Act—we’re talking primarily to you, Republican lawmakers—they should read this article from the Seattle Times on how a massive bridge building project in Aberdeen, Wash., “is pumping new life into a once-thriving timber town that fell on hard times and stayed that way for years.”
In February, the Washington State Department of Transportation chose Aberdeen as the site to build 33 new huge pontoons—some as long as a football field and weighing 11,000 tons each—for a new bridge on state Highway 520.
While the project itself creates some 300 well-paid jobs, “it’s not the only burst of recent good news for Aberdeen.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tell Your Senators: Pass the Rebuild America Jobs Act
This week, the U.S. Senate will take up the Rebuild America Jobs Act (S. 1769), which would create jobs immediately by investing $50 billion to repair and rebuild the nation’s roads, rails and airports, establish a national infrastructure bank to fund a broad range of projects and ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. All without adding a dime to the deficit.
Click here to send a message to your senators to start putting Americans back to work by passing the Rebuild America Jobs Act.
The Rebuild America Jobs Act is the latest piece of the American Jobs Act that President Obama called on Congress to pass into law. The first piece—which Republicans filibustered when it came up for a vote—was the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, which would have created or protected nearly 400,000 education jobs while preventing the layoffs of thousands of police officers and firefighters.
The vote could come as soon as Thursday, so click here now and urge your senators to pass the Rebuild America Jobs Act.
The Republican Jobs Plan: Jobs? What Jobs?
To paraphrase that classic Wendy’s hamburger ad, when it comes to the Republicans’ so-called jobs plan, “Where’s the Jobs?
Senate Republicans successfully filibustered President Obama’s American Jobs Act and blocked a vote on a break-out provision that would enable some 400,000 teachers, firefighters and other first responders to get or keep a job. Republicans vow to do the same on an upcoming infrastructure jobs bill and other pieces of American Jobs Act when they come up for votes. Meanwhile, House Republicans have even refused to put the bill to a vote.
Why are they fighting so hard against creating jobs? Because they claim they have a better jobs plan. Oh yeah? Since when is a plan that’s heart and soul is tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, the rollback of essential federal regulations—including Wall Street reform—and the repeal of health care reform a jobs bill?
Take a look at some of these comparisons of the American Jobs Act and the Republican jobs bill.
- The American Jobs Act would create 1.9 million jobs, according to Moody’s Analytics. Moody’s says that the Republican jobs plan won’t “address [the cause of the current weakness] in the short term….In fact, they could be harmful in the short term.” Read the rest of this entry »
Massachusetts Bridge: Not a Pretty Picture
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Jay Hurley, president of the New England Ironworkers District Council, says he wanted to prove a point to those who claim that the recent focus on the deteriorating conditions of the nation’s bridges and infrastructure is overblown.
So he picked a nearby bridge over Rt. 128 in Gloucester that carries more than 57,000 vehicles a day 100 feet over the Annisquam River. Hurley had District Council safety inspectors document the condition of the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge.
As you can see by the accompanying photo, it’s not a pretty picture.
The photos elicited some strong comments, including this one.
That bridge is a disaster waiting to happen…what are they waiting for—the bridge to collapse and kill some motorists? By then it will be too late.
