Published 31 Aug, 2011
An estimated 1 million workers will lose their jobs in one year if Congress does not pass a clean extension for the Surface Transportation and for the Federal Aviation Administration bills said President Obama today during his press conference on America’s infrastructure.
Obama, joined by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Chamber of Commerce Chief Operating Officer David Chavern, addressed the importance of the investments to keep people’s jobs and to stop political games, as the surface bill is to expire at the end of September.
“For construction workers and their families across the country, this represents the difference between making ends meet or not making ends meet,” said Obama surrounded by construction workers who would be out of a job if not passed.
An estimated 4, 000 workers will be furloughed, over 1 million workers will lose their jobs in one year and a 10-day delay will cost $10 billion in funding, funding America will NOT get back.
Obama also said it was inexcusable to cut off the necessary investments when there are so many infrastructures, from bridges to highways and mass transit in need of repair and improvement.
Currently, the federal government provides almost $42 billion for highways and $11 billion for transit to states annually.
However, America has already seen what the GOP won’t do as 4,000 FAA employees were furloughed for almost three weeks this summer because they objected to a rule issued earlier this year by the National Mediation Board (NMB), which supervises labor relations in the transportation sector.
If the FAA and Surface Transportation bills are not passed, there will be devastating consequences on our economy. Sustaining the surface transportation bill and funding for FAA is crucial and essential to our economic recovery and job creation as America has a 9.1 percent unemployment rate.
TWU agreed with what the President said today, now is the time to put country before party and to stop the political games.