Unions are backing President Obama in the November election.
The AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department put out the following statement regarding Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan, a deficit hawk who has proposed drastic cuts to government spending to deal with the nation’s debt problem, as his vice presidential running mate:
“The
selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as Gov. Mitt Romney’s running mate confirms
what we have known all along: a Romney administration would be a disaster for
the nation’s already deteriorating transportation system and infrastructure.
“The
Romney-Ryan vision for our transportation system and its workers is about making
all the wrong choices: billions in cuts to transportation investments; forced
privatization and outsourcing; a roll-back of safety regulations; repeal of
worker protections including collective bargaining rights, and the loss of
500,000 transportation jobs just in the first years under the Romney-endorsed
Ryan budget.
“In
contrast, President Obama has called for the largest investment in our
transportation system in modern history and has made rebuilding the
middle-class and investing in real job creation the centerpiece of his economic
agenda.
“Clearly
Romney and Ryan fail to understand the vital importance of transportation to
job creation and our nation’s competitiveness in the global economy. Their
vision that we can cut our way to prosperity is dangerous for America.
“Worst
of all, the cuts called for in the Romney-Ryan vision for America to vital
national interests such as transportation, public health, retirement security
and education are used, yet again, to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and
billionaires.
“In
the weeks ahead we will be sure our members understand exactly what is at stake
this fall and just how damaging a Romney presidency would be to transportation
jobs, the economy and our dwindling middle-class.” – Eric Kulisch
Washington Notebook: Union says Romney-Ryan ticket neglects infrastructure
