Sean McGarvey, President of the North American Building Trades Union at their convention in 2013 (Image from NABTU)
North America’s Building Trades formally endorsed Hillary Clinton’s campaign for President this morning specifically citing her newly released infrastructure plan.
“Today, North America’s Building Trades are proud to endorse Hillary Clinton’s campaign for President,” said Sean McGarvey, the organization’s president. “In these times of international strife and uncertainty, our nation needs a leader with the toughness, strength, intelligence and experience to successfully steer the United States through tumultuous waters. Here at home, we trust that Secretary Clinton will always do what’s best for America’s working families.”
The Building Trades’ endorsement closely follows the release of Secretary Clinton’s infrastructure plan, Building Tomorrow’s Economy Today. The comprehensive five-year, $275 billion plan would allocate $250 billion to direct public investment and place $25 billion in a national infrastructure bank dedicated to maintaining the country’s competitive advantage in the 21st century economy. The infrastructure plan, which supports an additional $225 billion in financing through the infrastructure bank, would result in up to $500 billion in critical infrastructure investments over the next five years. The Building Trades and “Hardhats for Hillary” will advocate for successful implementation of this proposal in all 50 states so that voters are educated on the choice before them. Together, we can put America back to work.
“Secretary Clinton’s work on behalf of Building Trades workers and their families is unquestioned,” said McGarvey. “Her infrastructure plan is further proof that she understands that the state of our nation’s infrastructure is a bellwether for the health of the American economy and for the economic prospects of American workers. We commend Secretary Clinton for putting forth a robust, yet entirely practical plan. She acknowledges, in stark contrast to the other candidates in this presidential race, that this is a national problem which requires a bold, national, and realistic solution, not a pie-in-the-sky dream or a piecemeal approach.”
Secretary Hillary Clinton released the following statement upon receiving the endorsement of the North America’s Building Trades Unions.
“I am honored to have earned the endorsement of North America’s Building Trades (NABTU).
“The members of the Building Trades have helped build the American middle class—by training apprentices, protecting workers’ rights, and supporting good-paying jobs and pathways to careers in the construction industry. Along the way, they have helped build our mighty American economy—keeping the lights on and traffic moving, helping businesses get goods to customers and workers get to their jobs, supporting safe power generation, sending skyscrapers soaring above our cities, and maintaining the pipes beneath our streets.
“As President, I will stand with America’s Building Trades against efforts to roll back prevailing wage statutes and undermine project labor agreements. I will fight to protect workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, stay safe on the job, maintain their health benefits and retire with dignity. And I will support high-quality apprenticeship programs modeled after successful efforts promoted by the Building Trades and their contractor partners that give young people, women, African-Americans, Latinos and veterans ladders of opportunity to a career in the trades and a pathway to the middle class for their families.
“I know the members of the Building Trades and “Hardhats for Hillary” will join me in our advocacy to rebuild and expand America’s infrastructure to maintain our position as the world’s economic superpower. I have an ambitious, five-year plan to invest in our infrastructure, from rebuilding roads and bridges to modernizing our energy system, and put Americans to work building the future we deserve. My plan will make our economy more productive and competitive across the board. It will cut costs for families and businesses, and spur more private investment. It will boost wages up and down the supply chain and throughout the economy. Because to build a strong economy for the future, we need to start by building strong infrastructure today.
“I am honored to have earned the endorsement of North America’s Building Trades and together, we’re going to rebuild the country we love and put Americans back to work.”
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