Teamsters union launches highway bill campaign

By |  September 3, 2015

With federal funding for road and transit programs set to expire Oct. 29, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) union is preparing to launch a campaign – “Let’s Get America Working” – to encourage lawmakers to approve a long-term highway bill, reports The Hill.

According to The Hill, IBT is planning to run radio ads in the Washington, D.C., area and purchase space in Capitol Hill publications to focus lawmakers’ concentration on highways upon their return to Washington. The union say it’s launching the campaign to persuade Congress to pass a long-term highway bill this fall because “the nation’s roads, bridges, ports, airports, railroads and mass transit systems are crumbling.”

Based on estimates from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the union says as much as $3.6 trillion should be spent by 2020 to repair and modernize the country’s transportation system.

“Our campaign seeks to restore a dynamic and prosperous middle class to drive economic growth by helping to advance policy decisions that create and maintain good middle-income jobs, guarantee retirement security, expand access to the American dream and ensure that the benefits of the ongoing economic recovery are felt by the many, not just the few,” says James Hoffa, IBT’s president.

According to The Hill, transportation advocates have been pushing for a raise in the gas tax to help pay for the nation’s infrastructure projects. However, lawmakers in both chambers have ruled out a gas tax increase. In addition, Congress has not passed a highway bill that’s lasted longer than two years since 2005.

The campaign is being sent to Congress on Sept. 8.

Allison Kral

About the Author:

Allison Kral is the former senior digital media manager for North Coast Media (NCM). She completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University where she received a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She works across a number of digital platforms, which include creating e-newsletters, writing articles and posting across social media sites. She also creates content for NCM's Portable Plants magazine, GPS World magazine and Geospatial Solutions. Her understanding of the ever-changing digital media world allows her to quickly grasp what a target audience desires and create content that is appealing and relevant for any client across any platform.

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