Canceling High Speed Rail Would Derail Jobs

This afternoon about 350 concerned citizens representing a broad coalition of labor and community organizations rallied at the Talgo train site in Milwaukee to support the $810 million dollar high speed rail project which will provide a vital commuter connection between Milwaukee and Madison and spur future economic development. Rally participants are asking Governor-elect Scott Walker to reconsider his proposal to stop construction, costing Wisconsin both family supporting jobs and taxpayer money.

“The federal government has made it clear that these funds cannot be diverted to other projects or used for other purposes,” notes Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt.  “Now that the election campaign rhetoric is dying down, we are very hopeful that Governor-elect Walker will take a look at the facts and allow rail development to move forward.  Beyond the immediate job creation associated with construction, high-speed rail infrastructure is an important step towards building commuter friendly communities, as well as efficient, time-saving travel links between economic centers.  That encourages growth which benefits all kinds of businesses and creates good jobs.”

“The high speed rail project will create jobs ― plain and simple,” says Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale.  “Let's be responsible. This is not the time to turn down high quality jobs for the people of Wisconsin.”

The rally was jointly sponsored by the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, Citizen Action of Wisconsin’s Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods Coalition, and Voces de la Frontera.  Speakers included Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt, State Sen. Spencer Coggs, State Rep. Barbara Toles, Rev. Ken Wheeler of Cross Lutheran Church and the Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), and Voces de La Frontera Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz.

The job and economic losses from cancellation are as follows:

• Construction Jobs: 4,732 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 11-5-10)

• Permanent Jobs: 9,570 (Sierra Club, 11-5-10)

• $173 million in increased Wisconsin household income (Sierra Club, 11-5-10)

"These are good jobs worth fighting for," according to IAMAW District 10 Director Russ Krings.  "We have to do all we can to keep family-supporting jobs in Wisconsin."

Walker has defended these cuts on fiscal grounds, but returning the $810 million in federal funding for this project would actually cost the state a great deal of money. Wisconsin would have to pay back the federal government and contractors for work already done.

In addition, the City of Milwaukee spent $10 million to buy the site where the trains are being built by Spanish manufacturer Talgo.  If the project is cancelled, that blighted industrial area will suffer yet another major setback.

“Good leaders must often summon the courage to change course.  We urge Governor-elect Walker to reconsider his previously stated position on the high speed rail issue.  This is an opportunity to create good, family-wage jobs and set the stage for further economic growth,” concludes President Neuenfeldt. 

(Top Photo: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt speaking at today's rally.  Top Right photo: Unemployed workers Robert Baker and Kathleen Slamka of IBEW Local 494 rally in support of high speed rail.  Second and Third Photos on the Right: Crowd shots from the Rally in support of High Speed Rail Jobs.  Bottom Right Photo:  Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt and Secretary-Treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale.  Bottom Left Photo: IAMAW District 10 Director Russ Krings.  All photos taken at the Rally for High Speed Jobs by Karen Hickey.)

Comments

[Chris]

Everyone is making this a labor issue. This is also an environmental and land use issue. Nobody is getting how the expansion of roads/highways for vehicles is causing air and land pollution our environment affecting us NOW.
We need this land for feeding us and our future generations, plus possibly making fuels and feeding animals. As for air pollution, now they have found that the first whales that are sunburned ... think of that ... for centuries whales have come up for air and never suffered sunburn. Now with the weakened ozone layer, they are sunburned for the brief times they come up for air. What does that mean to our human skin? Future human skin and cancer risks? What are we doing to ourselves and our environment? Our lives? Our future children's lives? Doesn't anyone care?
We have plenty of roads to keep up and to expand for promoting mass transit like buses/high occupancy vehicles. Where were the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in the Marquette Interchange remodeling? The current DOT is rated almost the lowest (49th out of 50 states) in the U.S. in Intellegent Transportation Systems planning, including HOV lanes, usage of electronic signage to control of vehicle ticketing and congestion and other smart traffic. In other words, we need a smarter DOT ... not a DOT that just hires former highway contracters. We need a DOT who knows how to plan for our aging population and their transportation needs and our state's upcoming PROGRESSIVE transportation needs, including high speed rail, and appreciates the valuable land and air we have here in WI. WI makes its money in tourism and we need efficient, effective ways to get people around without destroying our wonderful land, air and environment! And, support our current population's business, aging and family needs.

[davao jobs hiring]

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[guest]

Eventually, Florida and the rest of the country will have a high speed rail system. It is a must for the economic power of the country. It should be viewed as a new type of Eirie Canal. The jobs created will go way beyond the rail system itself.

Consider the following proposal:

Is the Proposed Trans Global Highway a solution for future population concerns and global warming?

One excellent solution to future population concerns as well as alleviating many of the effects of potential global warming is the Frank Didik proposal for the construction of the "Trans Global Highway". The Didik proposed Trans Global Highway would create a world wide network of standardized roads, railroads, water pipe lines, oil and gas pipelines, electrical and communication cables. The result of this remarkable, far sighted project will be global unity through far better distribution of resources, including heretofore difficult to obtain or unaccessible raw materials, fresh water, finished products and lower global transportation costs.

With greatly expanded global fresh water distribution, arid lands could be cultivated resulting in a huge abundance of global food supplies. The most conservative estimate is that with the construction of the Trans Global Highway, the planet will be able to feed several billion more people, using presently available modern farming technologies. With the present global population of just under 7 billion people and at the United Nations projection of population increase, the world will produce enough food surpluses to feed the expected increased population for several hundred years.

Thomas Robert Malthus's famous dire food shortage predictions of 1798 and his subsequent books, over the next 30 years, failed to take into consideration modern advances in farming, transportation, food storage and food abundance. Further information on the proposed Trans Global Highway can be found at www.TransGlobalHighway.com .

[Jake Lane]

Canceling high speed rail would derail jobs. Stopping construction would cost both family supporting jobs that are already slim pickings. I think it is awful that these Construction Jobs in Wisconsin may come to a halt. It is really hard to find leads for work in my area of expertise and these types of tactics by the politicians aren't helping. However, I will say that things are looking up because I found a great resource. Dodge Projects has these amazing listings of construction jobs by type project and by state, so that I can really see what is out there and if it would suit me. It has proven to be quite profitable and I would definitely recommend you check it out.

[HC One]

Sad to say many of us hit by recession but we just keep hope more jobs to come...

[Thiskindofjerseynumberisusuallyinblackcolor]

contemplating around about that,

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Canceling High Speed Rail Would Derail Jobs - Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog
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