LIUNA Praises Senate for Passing Bipartisan Highway Bill, Puts Pressure on House Republicans to Follow Suit

New Hard-Hitting Media Campaign with Provocative Radio Ads, Direct Mail and “Emergency Bridge Repair Team” Truck Urges Rep. Boehner to Take Immediate Action on Highway Bill

LIUNA 3/14/2012

Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2012)– Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement on the U.S. Senate’s passage of a two-year, $109 billion Highway Bill: LIUNA applauds the Senate for coming together today to pass a Highway Bill that fully invests in America’s transportation systems and protects good jobs. After nearly three years of temporary extensions, this legislation is desperately needed to keep our economy moving in the right direction.

And while the Senate’s actions are encouraging, we’re not out of the woods yet. The House must now follow suit and pass a jobs-protecting Highway Bill too. So far, all
we’ve seen from House Republicans is partisan politics – even as one-in-four bridges in America have been deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

That’s why, this past week LIUNA dramatically dialed up the pressure on House Speaker John Boehner, launching a multi-media campaign in his home state of Ohio.
The initiative includes a powerful radio ad – “Russian Roulette” – which warns motorists that until Congress passes a Highway Bill, they’re being forced to play Russian roulette every time they cross an unsafe bridge.

The effort also includes a mailer to 100,000 voters entitled “How to Survive a Collapsing Bridge” and a media tour that kicks off next week when an “Emergency
Bridge Repair Team” truck will traverse the state to provide information about the stalled Highway Bill to motorists.

With this campaign, we’re sending a message to Speaker Boehner and the House of Representatives that it’s time to end the political games. We need to pass a strong, bipartisan Highway Bill not just to protect our economy and our bridges – but also our lives. The Senate can do it, and so can the House of Representatives.

To learn more, hear the radio ads and view the campaign materials, please visit www.highwaybill.org