AFL-CIO Announces Commitment to Promote Large-Scale Infrastructure Investments
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The AFL-CIO today is announcing a major “commitment to action” to bring public and private partners together to encourage both workers’ capital and skilled labor to promote large-scale investments in America’s infrastructure.
This pioneering commitment, which will be announced at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Chicago, will seek to create good jobs and address our public infrastructure deficit and the threats posed to the environment and our economy by the way in which we use energy.
As part of the commitment, the AFL-CIO will work with business and government to promote infrastructure investment with a goal of at least $10 billion in new funding over the next five years.
Union movement-affiliated funds also will invest at least $20 million in the next year in energy-efficient retrofits of commercial, industrial and public buildings. Taking a first step, the AFL-CIO is immediately soliciting bids to conduct an energy-efficient retrofit of its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Economy Must Be Restructured to Rebuild the Middle Class
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The corporate agenda that has shaped our economic policy for three decades has nearly destroyed the country. The legacy of the Bush administration is one of lost jobs, unaffordable health care, bankrupt state and local governments and almost nonexistent retirement security.
The new president and Congress, who were elected in great part through the work of union members, have taken some important steps to jump start the economy. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has saved or created 1.2 million jobs so far.
The AFL-CIO Convention today examined how to continue turning around America and rebuild the economy. The delegates approved resolutions on a national strategy for moving forward our economic recovery and creating and sustaining good green jobs.
