The Importance Of Working Class In America
What America's Working Class Needs
By Sean McGarvey, President of North America's Building Trades Unions Americans can rejoice in a strong labor force this Labor Day weekend, at least according to the current Administration.
But is that really true? America's working class says no way. While the unemployment rate held steady at 4.9 percent this July, the manufacturing, construction and retail trade sectors endured jobless rates of more than one and a half times the national average.
High unemployment for those specific sectors is no coincidence. Instead, it's a result of congress delaying infrastructure investment. Currently, many metropolitan areas are crumbling to deficient transportation systems, water quality and electricity grids, …show more content…
Assessments of our nation's water systems are beginning to read like death sentences. The cast iron pipes that deliver drinking water to our homes were built in the 1880s -- and are well past their 120-year lifespans. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now considers water scarcity as big a threat to national security as terrorism.
The economic costs may be even higher. American drivers fork over more than $100 billion for extra trips to the repair shop every year because of subpar roads. Due to congestion, motorists spend 6.9 billion hours stuck in traffic. That waste of time and fuel sucks $960 from the average driver's wallet each year.
What’s more, by slowing trade, transport, and commerce, America's deteriorating infrastructure has obliterated the need for many blue collar jobs. Currently, the labor force participation rate is the lowest it's been in over four decades. Poverty rates are rising, and many workers are struggling to stay afloat.
But now America's working class has been anything but quiet about their frustrations. Surprising everyone, millions jumped at the opportunity to back populist candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump at the polls earlier this year. Who can blame them? Absent $1 trillion in spending to shore up our nation's infrastructure, the economy will miss out on $3.1 trillion in economic activity and shed 3.5 million jobs by …show more content…
Los Angeles Metro, via its Light Rail project, recently became the first transit agency nationwide to employ a joint project labor agreement (PLA) and local hiring requirement for federally funded projects. The "Pilot Local Hire Initiative" incentivizes Metro construction projects to hire economically disadvantaged residents for construction employment and training opportunities.
Localized infrastructure investment has fueled economic opportunities for displaced workers and allowed underserved communities flourish. But cities can't solve the infrastructure, or unemployment, crisis on their own. Last year, Congress committed to fund just 8 percent of the $3.6 trillion America needs to bring its infrastructure up to a B grade, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
This is unacceptable. Labor Day should serve as another reminder that infrastructure must be a priority in 2017. America's infrastructure has more than a few screws loose. Lawmakers who don't see the urgent need to invest in infrastructure do as
By Sean McGarvey, President of North America's Building Trades Unions Americans can rejoice in a strong labor force this Labor Day weekend, at least according to the current Administration.
But is that really true? America's working class says no way. While the unemployment rate held steady at 4.9 percent this July, the manufacturing, construction and retail trade sectors endured jobless rates of more than one and a half times the national average.
High unemployment for those specific sectors is no coincidence. Instead, it's a result of congress delaying infrastructure investment. Currently, many metropolitan areas are crumbling to deficient transportation systems, water quality and electricity grids, …show more content…
Assessments of our nation's water systems are beginning to read like death sentences. The cast iron pipes that deliver drinking water to our homes were built in the 1880s -- and are well past their 120-year lifespans. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now considers water scarcity as big a threat to national security as terrorism.
The economic costs may be even higher. American drivers fork over more than $100 billion for extra trips to the repair shop every year because of subpar roads. Due to congestion, motorists spend 6.9 billion hours stuck in traffic. That waste of time and fuel sucks $960 from the average driver's wallet each year.
What’s more, by slowing trade, transport, and commerce, America's deteriorating infrastructure has obliterated the need for many blue collar jobs. Currently, the labor force participation rate is the lowest it's been in over four decades. Poverty rates are rising, and many workers are struggling to stay afloat.
But now America's working class has been anything but quiet about their frustrations. Surprising everyone, millions jumped at the opportunity to back populist candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump at the polls earlier this year. Who can blame them? Absent $1 trillion in spending to shore up our nation's infrastructure, the economy will miss out on $3.1 trillion in economic activity and shed 3.5 million jobs by …show more content…
Los Angeles Metro, via its Light Rail project, recently became the first transit agency nationwide to employ a joint project labor agreement (PLA) and local hiring requirement for federally funded projects. The "Pilot Local Hire Initiative" incentivizes Metro construction projects to hire economically disadvantaged residents for construction employment and training opportunities.
Localized infrastructure investment has fueled economic opportunities for displaced workers and allowed underserved communities flourish. But cities can't solve the infrastructure, or unemployment, crisis on their own. Last year, Congress committed to fund just 8 percent of the $3.6 trillion America needs to bring its infrastructure up to a B grade, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
This is unacceptable. Labor Day should serve as another reminder that infrastructure must be a priority in 2017. America's infrastructure has more than a few screws loose. Lawmakers who don't see the urgent need to invest in infrastructure do as