America's Building Trades Unions Urge Congress to Focus on Job Creation Through Infrastructure Investments

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- America's Building Trades Unions congratulate the congressional Bipartisan Energy Working Group for coming together, putting politics aside, and crafting legislation  that finally addresses America's serious unemployment crisis.  Workers in the construction industry have been facing twice the unemployment rate than the rest of the workforce, and many are struggling to feed their families.  

At the same time, we are inundated with credible reports which invariably conclude that our country's once unrivaled infrastructure is crumbling and poses serious dangers to the public, not to mention the American economy.  There is no shortage of work for construction workers, just a shortage of political courage to fund the work.

This is why we're heartened to see Representatives Tim Murphy, Tim Walz, Jim Costa and Bill Shuster come together in a bipartisan manner to simultaneously address America's energy independence, its infrastructure shortfalls, and its tragic unemployment problem.  The Infrastructure Jobs and Energy Independence Act brings long-needed reforms to our domestic oil and gas industry, while also increasing our energy independence and directing royalties to American infrastructure funding and job creation.    

The skilled craft professionals who comprise America's Building Trades Unions do not need any more political posturing.  What they need…and have been needing for three years now...is committed leadership and concerted action to create jobs.  Swift passage of the Infrastructure Jobs and Energy Independence Act would be a good first step.

The Building and Construction Trades Department is an alliance of 13 national and international unions that collectively represent approximately 2 million skilled craft men and women in the United States and Canada.

SOURCE Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO