Dear Representative:
As the House continues consideration of the FY16 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, we urge you to stand with labor in support of a safe, efficient transportation system by taking the following votes:
- Vote NO on the two amendments offered by Rep. Sessions (TX-32). The first amendment would eliminate the Sunset Limited passenger rail line which provides service from New Orleans to Los Angeles. The second would prohibit funds from going to any Amtrak route which costs exceed two times its revenue, a clear attack on Amtrak’s long-distance routes which serve as a key component in our national transportation system.
- Vote NO on an amendment offered by Rep. Bill Posey (FL-8) which would limit loans made through the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RIFF) program to $600 million for each project. Placing an arbitrary cap on this important financing tool would prevent loans from being used for critical and expansive infrastructure projects including efforts to replace century-old rail tunnels serving the Northeast Corridor.
- Vote NO on any amendment that would prohibit the application of the Davis-Bacon Act or Project Labor Agreements. Davis-Bacon wage standards, which have been applied to every major federal infrastructure program since the 1930s, ensure that workers on federally assisted construction projects are paid no less than “prevailing wages” in the area in which the project is located. Similarly, Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) have also been retained as an option by the federal government for decades. Collectively, Davis-Bacon and PLAs protect workers and communities from the use of underpaid labor while ensuring projects are performed safely, on time and on budget by qualified and trained personnel. Any effort to undermine these important tools must be rejected.
On behalf of the 32 affiliated unions of Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, I urge you to reject these amendments that threaten the continued improvement of our nation’s infrastructure and jeopardize the jobs of the transportation workers.
Sincerely,
Edward Wytkind
President
Critical Vote Alert for THUD Appropriations Amendments (136kb)
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