WASHINGTON, DC—Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), made this statement following President Obama’s State of the Union speech yesterday evening:
“Millions of working people last night heard President Obama declare it is time to ‘do some nation-building right here at home’ by shifting federal resources to America’s transportation and other infrastructure needs.
“From revitalizing our crumbling transportation infrastructure to finding new ways to boost manufacturing jobs to increasing the skills of American workers, this is a vision our elected leaders must embrace if they are serious about putting Americans to work and reversing years of economic malaise. We will use the momentum from last night’s State of the Union address to continue our push for billions in new investments in our budget-starved transit and rail systems, our outdated air traffic control system and airport infrastructure, our crumbling roads and bridges and our capital starved port and maritime systems.
“Our message to the Administration and Congress is that it is time to stop deferring the job of expanding and modernizing our multi-modal transportation system. It is time to replace rhetoric with action. It is time to find the political will and the resources necessary to fund long-term programs that will make this the decade when America finally modernizes and expands our transportation system and infrastructure and that the manufacturing and materials to do so come from within our own borders.
“Last night’s address to Americans will only make a difference if the vision to rebuild the nation is backed by real congressional action on long-term transportation investment bills that do more than just affix Band-Aids to a crisis that threatens the future of our economy.
“When we begin again to ‘Hire America’ in earnest, the nation’s transportation workers have the skill and know-how to move our passenger and freight transportation to a new level.”
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, motor carrier, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit us at ttd.org or on Facebook and Twitter.
