Jan 24 2008
In a sharply worded letter to key House and Senate leaders, Mark H. Ayers, President of the Building & Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, urged the United States Congress to craft an economic stimulus package that goes beyond tax cuts and tax rebates to include immediate spending on critical infrastructure needs in order to spur growth and job creation.
"Action is needed now," said Ayers. "Private investment has been the prime conduit for most of our nation's growth. However, that investment would not have paid dividends were it not for the series complimentary public investments in canals, railroads, bridges, roads, the airspace system, water projects, public transportation, public schools and the like, which substantially improved business productivity and our standard of living while generating significant increases in private-sector employment."
In encouraging the Congress to look beyond tax cuts to stimulate the economy, Ayers pointed out that our economy only received a mild boost from the 2001 tax cuts, and that the job market was especially slow to recover.
"The most obvious strategy for dealing with a recession and rising unemployment is to invest in the building and repairing of our nation's infrastructure," said Ayers. "Such spending puts money in the pockets of hard working people. Going further, the economic activity and the jobs directly created by this spending have a beneficial ripple effect as contractors purchase materials and employees spend their salaries."
Ayers went on to refute arguments that such spending would not realize any immediate dividends due to the delays in getting projects off the ground. Noting that in many areas of the country there are countless projects with completed plans ready to go, Ayers suggested that once funding was provided these projects could commence within 90 days.
The Building & Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO is an alliance of 12 craft unions representing approximately three million members. Its unions are widely known as the best choice for highly skilled and highly productive construction labor. The Department and its affiliated member unions demonstrate a concerted commitment to world class skills development and training; coupled with a 21st century labor/management model that is founded upon the principles of performance, pride, cooperation and partnership.