Mar
2011 17
2011 17
“It should not take a tragedy to build a bridge this fast in America.”
Yesterday, Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa, District 1) questioned witnesses at a project labor agreement hearing at the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Iowa’s governor, Terry Branstad, recently signed Executive Order #69 to ban the use of PLAs on state-funded projects. The Master Builders of Iowa, an anti-union group, admit to having...
Mar
2011 17
2011 17
PHILIPS TO SHUT DOWN TN PLANT: “We don’t know what we’re gonna do, or what’s gonna happen.”
The IBEW has ramped up its efforts to keep a Philips plant in Sparta, Tennessee from shutting down this summer. The Netherlands-based company has threatened to move its operation to Mexico in a classic job-shipping move. The IBEW’s petition asks the obvious question: Why? Philips has not given a reason. Perhaps CEO Gerard Kleisterlee thinks ...
Mar
2011 16
2011 16
WE ARE ONE Campaign to Support Embattled Workers Kicks off Solidarity Week on April 4
The AFL-CIO has launched a national campaign to make April 4th, the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., a national day of solidarity for workers in states battling anti-worker measures. The celebration hopes to kick off a week of rallies around the country. Huffington Post made note of the campaign last week. ...
Mar
2011 10
2011 10
Mad Men Makes an Ad for High-Speed Rail
This is a lovely piece of cross-genre promotion for the all-important high-speed rail projects which have been stifled in states like Wisconsin and Florida. Two partners on the inherent value of trains over cars, citing the traffic and heartache of maintenance versus an effortless train ride, when one asks the other: “Now you gonna fix ...
Mar
2011 7
2011 7
If You Believe That, I’ve Got a Bridge to Lease You!
Infrastructure privatization contracts are full of “gotcha” terms that require state or local governments to pay the private contractors. Those payments put the contractors in a much better position than the government. Truth-Out ran a comprehensive critique of infrastructure privatization this weekend, highlighting the pitfalls of...
Mar
2011 4
2011 4
$117 Million Bridge Project Connecting Maine and New Hampshire Moves Forward
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has assured Maine and New Hampshire that a federal grant portion of the funding for the Memorial and Sarah Mildred Long bridges would be upheld. The bridges connect Kittery and Portsmouth. From Seacoast Online: The agreement commits both Maine and New Hampshire to equally fund the Memorial Bridge at $35 ...
Mar
2011 2
2011 2
If You Build It, They Will Ride: Senators Take Gov. Scott to Court in Bipartisan High-Speed Rail-Saving Effort
Florida State Senators Thad Altman (R-Viera) and Arthenia Joyner (D-Tampa) submitted a 25-page lawsuit to the Florida Supreme Court suggesting that Governor Rick Scott has overstepped his authority in rejecting $2.4 billion in federal funding to complete a high-speed rail project in Florida. SB 1212, a law passed by the Legislature during a...
Mar
2011 1
2011 1
“Glazing is a specialty trade, and glass is an unforgiving media.”
The San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council website published a neat piece, On the Job Site with Glaziers 718, that sheds some light on the tremendous detail and danger of the glazing trade. “It’s all about solutions and team work,” author Richard Bermack writes, “and the union is a big part of that,...
Feb
2011 25
2011 25
Universal City Eyes $3 Billion Build Out That Would Create 16,000 Construction Jobs
In Los Angeles, the job-creating path continues to be paved. Last year, a $2 billion Project Labor Agreement secured 98% union labor for future public works project in L.A. Recently, plans to invest $72 billion in transportation infrastructure came to light. Now, according to Building Trades News, Universal City is eyeing a $3 billion expansion ...
Feb
2011 24
2011 24
“The House bill hammers some construction programs, deleting all $894 million for General Services Administration buildings construction and nearly wiping out the $2.5 billion for high-speed rail.”
The Engineering News-Record (ENR) reports that the House spending cuts passed under continuing resolution (CR) last weekend, could have a negative impact on infrastructure spending and, in turn, construction projects. ENR notes, however, that the CR still faces opposition in the Senate: The continuing resolution (CR) now moves to the Senate, where...
Feb
2011 23
2011 23
“The Rational Center Is Alive and Well” — Unions Score Two Massive, Bipartisan Victories
In the wee hours of the morning on February 19th, the U.S. House of Representatives did the unthinkable, achieving bipartisan defeats of two divisive amendments, one designed to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act and the other designed to deny funds for all federal Project Labor Agreements. This is arguably the most triumphant exhibition of bipartisan...
Feb
2011 22
2011 22
Don’t Terre Haute Our Hearts: Indiana Democrats Deny House Quorum Over Right-to-Work
Indiana Democrats followed the lead of their Wisconsin counterparts this morning, fleeing the state instead of voting on anti-union measures being pushed by the state legislature. “With only 58 legislators present,” The IndyStar reports, “there was no quorum present to do business. The House needs 67 of its members to be...
