Legislative Issues from the BCTD - (9/23/2009)

Today, we are in the midst of an economic crisis that has affected every American.  We have felt it at work, in our homes, and in our communities.  The burden has fallen disproportionately on middle-class and low-income workers, and it has meant tremendous sacrifice for many hard-working Americans.  In the construction industry alone, this economic slowdown has cost more than 800,000 jobs.  Even for those who have managed to keep their jobs, wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, and job security, health care and the promise of a secure retirement are vanishing. 
 
From this crisis has emerged an opportunity to put this country back on track.  Our futures, our children’s futures and the future of our nation depend on the path that our lawmakers choose to take today.  Right now, the U.S. Congress is working on several pieces of legislation that will not only transform the economy, but improve the lives of working Americans for generations to come. 

If passed, these measures – which include Clean Energy legislation; the Employee Free Choice Act; and Health Care Reform – would help re-build an economy that works for everybody. 

The clean energy bill could jumpstart entirely new industries, as well as re-vitalize our American manufacturing base.  In the process, it would create hundreds of thousands of new well-paying jobs and bolster communities – both urban and rural – all across America. 

The Employee Free Choice Act would put the power to choose a union and bargain for a better life back in the hands of workers. 

Health care reform would have the effect of improving the affordability, availability and quality of health care for all Americans, while also leveling the playing field for responsible employers who currently provide health care coverage for their workers (and which, in many cases – such as unionized construction contractors – places them at a competitive disadvantage with their non-union counterparts).

Each of these bills, however, has been met with staunch opposition from Republicans and big business groups who want to preserve the status quo, in which our economy works for the benefit of the few…at the expense of the many.  Simply put, the preservation of the status quo will have devastating effects on America’s future.

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