WASHINGTON, DC — Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), offers the following statement following President Obama’s Labor Day speech that outlined a plan to invest in America’s transportation infrastructure and put Americans back to work:
“It is fitting that today’s announcement of a new round of surface and aviation infrastructure investments were unveiled on Labor Day. As we celebrate working Americans, we should celebrate this new initiative which will result in more jobs — as long as obstructionists in Congress don’t get their way.
“With more than 1.5 million jobs created by the transportation investments in the economic recovery legislation championed by the President and passed by the House and Senate majority, it is clear that investing in infrastructure is a proven strategy of putting Americans back to work.
“This is a strategy that tackles two pressing problems. It will provide paychecks to people who have families to support while producing expanded and safer passenger and freight transportation systems with targeted investments in mass transit, airports and air traffic control, rail, highways and bridges. And it supports an infusion of new investment in Amtrak’s fleet replacement plan, a move that will also boost manufacturing. As the backbone of our nation’s economy, all Americans are served by a modernized and more efficient transportation network.
“The men and women of transportation labor applaud the President’s timely announcement and look forward to seeing this plan enacted. Now working people will have a chance to see if obstructionists in Congress who keep talking about the need for job creation join the President to pass this jobs bill or deploy the same tactics that have stalled all efforts to turn around our economy.”
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit www.ttd.org.
