Union Construction Workers Proudly Rebuild an Historic Landmark, Tell Secretaries Walsh and Buttigieg They’re Ready to Rebuild America

Washington, D.C. (May 19, 2021) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today after an event at the Frederick Douglass Bridge with construction craft laborers, U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton:

LIUNA members are proud to be among the union tradesmen and women who are rebuilding the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

 

Constructed by local residents under a Building Trades project labor agreement, the Frederick Douglass Bridge has provided good wages and benefits to an array of skilled union construction trades workers who are trained to deliver the highest quality work on time and on budget. When we build union, working people, taxpayers, communities and our country all benefit. I was proud to meet many of the proud LIUNA members working
on the bridge today.

LIUNA strongly supports the reinstatement of Local Hire provisions announced by the Department of Transportation today. Construction workers feel pride when they are building the very infrastructure they and their families use every day. Rebuilding outdated and deteriorating bridges and infrastructure across our entire nation is about more than just concrete and steel – it is about people and building lifelines to a more
robust and competitive economy, to good jobs, and to a safer transportation system.

LIUNA looks forward to continuing to work with the White House on their commitment to build back better by rebuilding our nation with good family-supporting union jobs. Transportation needs across the nation are staggering and it is urgent that Congress take up legislation reauthorizing the Highway Trust Fund and to invest in other critical infrastructure.

The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge honors the legacy of a man who overcame slavery to become an inspiration in the movement for freedom and to end to slavery. The bridge named after Douglass was built in 1950 and is undergoing a complete replacement. The new bridge will be a gateway to the Nation’s Capital and the longest bridge in the city. The new bridge design has a distinctive three arch design supported by v-shaped piers.

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The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build the United States and Canada.