Massachusetts AFL-CIO Testimony Before the Joint Standing Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets

Robert J. Haynes, Massachusetts AFL-CIO

Testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets

Wednesday June 4 ~ 11 AM ~ Room A-2, State House

Thank you to the Chairmen and members of the legislature for the opportunity to testify before your Committee.

For the record my name is Robert Haynes and I am President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. I have the honor and privilege to head an organization that represents nearly 400,000 working families from over 750 local unions.

I am here today to testify on behalf of a piece of legislation that working families in this Commonwealth have waited far too long to see. You have before you a piece of legislation submitted by our Governor that actually seeks to invest in the infrastructure of this Commonwealth.

What a refreshing notion that a Governor would want to join this legislature in investing in our Commonwealth. For far too long past Governors were not proactive or willing partners in working with the General Court to rebuild this Commonwealth's infrastructure. I first thank this legislature for your leadership over what I've come to call the "Dark Ages" under past Governors. Things could have been a lot worse in this Commonwealth had it not been for your efforts.

But now we have a Governor who goes to work everyday like the proud members of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Deval Patrick goes to work to find ways to build this Commonwealth, to create jobs and to get people engaged in our government again.

I urge you to support the Governor's Accelerated Bridge Repair program. This program is not just good government, but it's good economic development policy as well. This program is not just about creating good jobs for working families, it's about public safety.

The Governor said in his campaign that these are our roads and bridges. Well here we have a bond bill that seeks to truly commit a shared investment in rebuilding those roads and bridges, over which we drive countless miles for countless hours for innumerable reasons.

When the Commonwealth wisely invests in our infrastructure we all benefit. We benefit from the jobs that are created. Our employers benefit from reliable and safe travel upon which businesses rely for their success. We all benefit from our improved safety.

Accelerating $3 Billion of investment in order to jump start a substantial structurally-deficient bridge repair, rehabilitation and other prevention projects over a period of the next eight years is one of the smartest things this Commonwealth could do. We have at least 250 bridges that need work. This bill will address these problems and I'm glad to finally have a Governor who's willing to do it.

Investing $3 Billion to repair bridges that are in dire need of repair will create thousands upon thousands of good jobs. This program is well within the Commonwealth's debt affordability and will actually save $1.5 Billion for the Commonwealth just by accelerating these projects. By making a commitment to these bridge repairs now we save on construction cost inflation and deferred maintenance costs that used to be the rule under previous Administrations.

Working people do not want to defer the building of this Commonwealth any more. We've seen what happens from sixteen years of deferring needed investments. 60-percent of bridges in Massachusetts are 45-years-old. They're only built to last 50 years. We all likely drove over inadequate bridges on the way here today, and we certainly drove over our share of potholes. We've seen on a national level these last eight years what happens to this country's infrastructure when we don't invest. It is about time we had a leader who was willing to do the wise thing with our tax dollars, the wise thing with our debt affordability, and used our resources to rebuild this Commonwealth.

We need the thousands of good jobs that it will create now, especially in the current economic downturn. Of course, our union men and women are the most skilled, most well-trained, most safe, and most effective workers to perform this work. We're confident that this project will lead to the creation of good, union jobs that this Commonwealth should be in the business of creating. Union jobs ensure family-sustaining wages, good benefits, workplace safety, a voice at work and dignity on the job. This kind of program will put lots of union members to work and that is something this legislature should embrace, as it has in the past.

Senator Kerry said at a conference of ours recently that we are living on the legacy of our grandparents. He could not be more accurate. Our grandparents built this Commonwealth, built these bridges, and it's high time we step up and make our own contribution to rebuilding this state. We need the investment in our infrastructure to enhance a stable and strong statewide economy, to enhance our public safety, and to finally do something that future generations will be able to look back on and say, thank God they made that investment for us.

It's been a long time since we did anything this smart, this proactive, this necessary, and it's been even longer since we all did it together with a Governor who wants to work for us and with us to rebuild this Commonwealth. I urge this Committee to treat this legislation with the same urgency with which this legislation will repair our bridges. Please report it out favorably and let's get to work.

Thank you.