Washington, D.C. (April 4, 2014) –Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers' International Union of North America – made the following statement on the Bureau of Labor Statistics March jobs report showing an improvement in the construction unemployment rate to 11.3 % from 12.8% in February:

“With the U.S. Department of Transportation now warning of a shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund as early as this summer, Congress needs to get moving right away on a Highway Bill reauthorization before it is too late. Cities and states that rely on this funding to keep our highways efficient and safe will soon be forced to delay or cancel critical new projects, which could be catastrophic to the construction industry and have a damaging ripple effect throughout the economy. With an 11.3% construction unemployment rate, we still have plenty of workers who are ready and willing to rebuild our congested, pot-hole ridden and dangerous roads and bridges. So LIUNA will keep pressing members of both parties to pass a critically needed, long-term investment in our nation’s infrastructure that will put thousands of men and women to work on projects that benefit our entire nation.”

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