Lawmakers in Congress have recently heard from UBC members urging support of sweeping transportation legislation that would make much-needed investments in the nation’s highway system and create badly needed jobs for carpenters throughout the country.
Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, unveiled the $450 billion Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 in mid-June. He and John Mica, R-Fla., the committee’s ranking minority member, called for a bipartisan effort to enact legislation before the current authorization expires Sept. 30.
Oberstar said the measure would create millions of new jobs along with modernizing how the Department of Transportation approves and monitors new projects. Using history as a guide, more than 3.75 million jobs typically are created – more than half in the construction industry – for every $100 billion directed toward highways.
Introduction of the bill came after months of lobbying by Brotherhood members around the country, capped by “fly-in” visits to Capitol Hill this spring by delegations of UBC and other union representatives, and signatory construction contractors.
The delegations told lawmakers the campaign for a new transportation bill comes at an especially tough time for many Brotherhood members and their families.
“Our people are in dire straits,” said Glenn Marshall, the Connecticut legislative representative for the UBC’s New England Regional Council. “We have 850 unemployed members statewide—that’s nearly 25 percent—with no end in sight.”
UBC representatives from states including California, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, and New Jersey had similar glum news for their congressional delegations, adding to the urgency to pass a new job-creating bill.
They stressed to lawmakers that any new bill’s provisions must include coverage under the Davis-Bacon Act, which protects fair competition and wages on federal construction projects.
The new authorization would go far beyond the recent economic stimulus bill that provided $42 billion for highway, mass transit, and rail projects. And Brotherhood representatives joined contractors in vowing to educate the public about the need for long-term, sustainable funding for the projects that will support our growing population and get people back to work.
Funding for a new transportation bill will need approval from the House Ways and Means Committee. One idea under consideration is to raise the federal gasoline tax, which stands at 18.4 cents per gallon. The tax has lost one-third of its purchasing power because of inflation since it was last increased more than 15 years ago. A congressional commission reported that the highway trust fund supported by the gas tax no longer provides adequate funding to maintain America’s highways.
Fly-in participants agreed that unions and contractors partnering on legislative visits demonstrate that common ground can be reached on difficult issues.
“When we come to Capitol Hill as individual organizations, there’s only a certain amount of horsepower we can bring,” said Don Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association. “When we come down together, there’s a synergy—and it’s just critical.”
Oberstar said he plans an aggressive pace for the legislation in the House. July will be busy as UBC representatives and members ramp up calls and visits to legislators, in their home districts and on Capitol Hill.