The impetus for asking the Administration to re-examine this decision was that “we know that comprehensive legislation is the best means for realizing wide-ranging employment opportunities that are possible in a clean-energy, low-carbon economy.”

The Building and Construction Trades Department is on record in support of the Waxman-Markey comprehensive climate change bill that passed the House of Representatives last year, and we are currently working with key Senate leaders to fashion a comprehensive Senate bill as well.

The read the letter click here.

That represents a gain of 35,000, or 26%, from the 133,000 construction jobs CEA estimated in its previous ARRA study, issued Sept. 10.

In its new report, released Jan. 13, CEA says that over all, ARRA has increased employment by 1.5 million to 2 million as of the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with what the jobs level would have been if the legislation had not been enacted.

CEA notes that its numbers “are only estimates,” not a compilation of jobs reports from ARRA states, cities, contractors or other stimulus-aid recipients. But CEA’s ARRA construction jobs figures are lower than the ARRA jobs counts reported to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by states and localities.

The committee says that, as of Nov. 30, ARRA funded highway and transit projects alone have created or preserved more than 250,000 “direct, on-project jobs.” The committee says those jobs come from 8,587 highway and transit projects worth $19.7 billion that are under construction.

CEA says that over all, ARRA has increased employment by 1.5 million to 2 million as of the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with what the jobs level would have been if the legislation had not been enacted.

CEA’s report also says that as of Dec. 31, $263.3 billion of ARRA’s total $787 billion has been spent, including $164.2 billion in actual outlays and $99.1 billion worth of tax breaks received. Another $149.7 billion in ARRA funds has been obligated for specific projects or programs but not yet turned into outlays.

Despite the stimulus measure’s positive construction jobs impact, the industry’s overall unemployment rate increased in December to 22.7%, the highest number since at least 2000, as construction lost another 53,000 jobs in the month.

Construction economists note that ARRA-related jobs gains in the industry have been more than offset by losses in non-residential construction and public works funded by state and local governments.

CEA Chair Christina Romer told reporters that ARRA has done what administration officials had expected. She said, “I do think that the recovery act has had a fundamental impact with an economy that was in free fall in early 2009.” She says that Gross Domestic Product is “actually starting to rise again” and adds, “We’ve gone from huge job losses to…tremendously moderating job losses. ”

The top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Darrell Issa of California, criticized the CEA report as containing “self-serving and deceptive numbers.”

Romer also said, “I absolutely do feel that we need further targeted action to help jump-start job creation.” President Obama on Dec. 8 announced his support for additional economic stimulus moves, including more spending for public works and energy-efficiency projects as well as help for small businesses, including tax breaks. The House has approved a $154-billion jobs bill, including $47 billion for infrastructure. Senate Democrats are developing a jobs proposal, too.

This article was written by Tom Ichniowski — via ENR

As the ARRA funds have worked their way through the economy over the past year, the economic freefall that defined our nation one year ago today has abated. In fact, the Council of Economic Advisors has found that the ARRA has had a positive impact on our nation’s GDP. Recent upticks in GDP growth are heartening for the U.S. construction industry, which is struggling with unprecedented unemployment that has now reached 25% nationwide, a number that would have certainly been greater had no action been taken.

Despite its detractors, the evidence is clear: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working and has helped our nation turn a corner through sound investments that are creating jobs, tax cuts for the middle class, and much-needed COBRA and unemployment insurance benefits for working Americans. However, we must continue efforts to fundamentally strengthen our economy, as we know there is no such thing as a jobless ‘recovery’. We expect Congress and the Administration to address the concerns of the American people and as always, America’s Building Trades Unions stand ready to assist them in any meaningful efforts to strengthen our economy and put Americans back to work.

– via National BCTD

The “green” technicians displayed an array of solar panels and a wind turbine they recently installed at the institute as examples of how they will put their new skills to work in advancing the development of a clean energy economy.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler said:

It’s important that American workers stay at the cutting edge of green technology so they can access the high-quality jobs that are being created in the global clean energy economy. The race is on to build a 21st century clean energy infrastructure and the AFL-CIO continues to push for it to be nurtured here in the U.S. and built by American workers.

Local 481 and the Apollo Alliance co-sponsored the graduation ceremony.

Each graduate of the green technician program will be an industry certified technician, ready to work on anything from windmills to retrofits of existing buildings that need to become more energy efficient, said Jim Patterson, director of the institute.

Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) told the graduates clean energy is the key to renewed prosperity.

The type of training and work being celebrated here today is exactly what we had in mind when we passed clean energy legislation in the House. If the Senate will join that effort, we can put clean energy on the fast track and rebuild America’s middle class on a foundation of new, well-paying green jobs.

The green technician training program is an apprenticeship program that includes classroom instruction and on-the-job training. Apprentices are paid during the course of their training.

This article was written by James Parks — via the AFL-CIO Blog

Please come out and show your support for labor!

It’s time to put some real teeth and a bigger enforcement hammer into the Occupational Safety and Health Act, (OSH Act), witnesses told a House hearing today. In prepared testimony, AFL-CIO Safety and Health Director Peg Seminario asked the House Workforce Protections subcommittee

What kind of message does it send to employers, workers and family members, that the death of a worker caused by a serious or even repeated violation of the law warrants only a penalty of a few thousands dollars?  It tells them that there is little value placed on the lives of workers in this country and that there are no serious consequences for violating the law.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) has sponsored a bill, Protecting America’s Workers Act (H.R. 2067), that would increase OSH Act civil and criminal penalties for the first time since 1990. Says Wollsey:

Congress needs to put teeth into these penalties so that employers are held accountable for their bad behavior and no longer view penalties as a part of the cost of doing business.

Along with increasing the amount of civil penalties, including setting minimum fines, the bill establishes a penalty of up to 10 years in prison for an employer–including top executives–for criminal behavior that results in the death of a worker.

Not only haven’t the penalties that most safety and health experts termed too weak to begin with not been increased in two decades, inflation has eaten 40 percent of their real dollar value. In addition, says Seminario:

The maximum civil penalties [$7,000 for a "serious" violation] provided for under the OSH Act are rarely assessed. Indeed, just the opposite is the case. In FY 2009, the average penalty for a serious violation of the law was $965 for federal OSHA and $781 for the state OSHA plans combined. Again this is the average penalty for violations that pose a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm.

Some 5,000 workers a year are killed on the job, 50,000 die from occupational disease each year, and millions of others become seriously ill or injured. Tougher penalties and stronger enforcement will “save lives,” says David Michaels, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

Jobs cannot be good jobs unless they are safe jobs. Stronger OSHA enforcement will save lives. Because OSHA can visit only a limited number of workplaces each year we need a stronger OSH Act to leverage our resources to encourage compliance by employers.

Click here for complete testimony of all witnesses and a video archive the entire hearing. Visit the committee’s YouTube page for shorter segments.

This article was written by Mike Hall — via the AFL-CIO BLOG

Speaking Friday before a Harvard University study group on “Working Class Revolt,” AFL-CIO President Emeritus and Harvard Fellow John Sweeney and AFL-CIO Policy Director Damon Silvers said policymakers failed to heed the union movement’s warnings against a campaign of radical federal deregulation and corporate empowerment—one that celebrated private greed over public service.

Those policies led to flawed trade deals that accelerated outsourcing, financial deregulation designed to promote speculation and the dismantling of our pension and health care systems. As a result, the enactment of these types of policies has now culminated in the worst economic decline in living memory.

Sweeney told the group that while our leaders are debating, the public is “angry and clamoring for action and results that work for them.”

The momentum is building for grassroots activism to push back against Wall Street and those who stand in the way of what needs to be done to turn our economy around.

Sweeney is aresident fellow during the spring term at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. The institute is part of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and resident fellows participate in the intellectual life of the Harvard community and lead weekly study groups on a range of topics. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler will address the study group this week.

The key to turning around America’s economy, Sweeney said, is to create new, good jobs.

The labor movement is mobilizing and organizing union members, communities and allies all over the country in a major fight for jobs. The plan is to restore and create good jobs and we will be holding our elected leaders and accountable for what they do or don’t do to take action. We will also hold the private sector accountable—the Wall Street banks that caused the crisis and companies that destroy jobs—and we will stand with anyone in the business community that is working to create good jobs. We plan to be in the street wherever the fight for jobs is being fought.

Silvers told the assembled students and academics that the roots of our economic crisis come from trying to have a low-wage, high-consumption economy.

The only way to get out of this is to have an economy built on good jobs. We can start by creating the 11 million jobs that were lost in this economic crisis.

Although United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo Gerard was unable to attend the study group, Sweeney quoted some of what he described as Gerard’s passionate thoughts about the need for good jobs.

Our members are losing patience with talk; they desperately want action now. We need job-creating action that is bold, swift and sustained. The United Steelworkers are ready to roll up our sleeves and help President Obama get our economy back on track by getting Americans back to work.

This article was written by James Parks — via the AFL-CIO BLOG