An Urgent Crisis

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka joins with the Chamber of Commerce President in DC

As the snow begins to melt, roads in Milwaukee, across Wisconsin, and nationwide are dotted with potholes. Roads and bridges are crumbling, and construction projects are left unfinished.

We have an urgent infrastructure crisis. 

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka testified before the US House Committee on Ways and Means yesterday on the crucial need for federal infrastructure funding.

Fully funding infrastructure has overwhelming economic implications, as Trumka outlined:

• Every dollar of infrastructure investment creates more than $3 in growth, making it one of the greatest economic multipliers at the federal government’s disposal.
• The average driver now spends an extra 97 hours a year on the road due to congestion, costing commuters more than $1,300 a year in lost time and wasted fuel.
• New York City’s Gateway tunnel project, if left unrepaired, will cost the economy $100 million a day.
• The failure of Michigan’s Soo Locks would result in an economic loss of $1.1 trillion and 11 million jobs in just six months.