Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2014) –Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today on the Bureau of Labor Statistics April jobs report showing the construction unemployment rate improving to 9.4% from 11.3% in March:
“The April jobs report shows positive growth in construction employment, improving the outlook for workers who were among those hardest hit by the recession.
“But the recovery is fragile. There is a bullseye on the recovery in the form of Congressional inaction on reauthorization of the federal Highway Bill. Already states are cutting projects due to uncertainty about whether Congress will act or continue with the duct-tape approach to our nation’s transportation infrastructure, which threatens jobs and public safety. Congress will soon have multiple options available to them to address the impending failure of the Highway Trust Fund and pass a Highway Bill. We urge Congress to act.”