Springfield – Construction workers on Monday represented Massachusetts unions that unions work on everything, from roads to Ponts to innovative wind and geothermal energy projects to $ 483 million. Massachusetts Veterans Man in Holyoke.
All big. All complicated. And they all depend on one way or another on federal funding, federal tax incentives or both. More than 250 delegates representing 75,000 specialized workers celebrated their work hard on Monday in an annual convention at MGM Springfield.
With hundreds of construction projects threatened by the budget cuts of the Trump time, American senator Ed Markey met on Monday with the unions of the Massachusetts building in Springfield. Here he talks here on Monday with Massachusetts Building unions, President Francis X. Callahan Jr., at MGM Springfield. (Jim Kinney / The Republican)The Republican
While the veterans’ house is over, the unions care and pressure on the federal funding of projects that are still in the pipeline.
“We are covered by the work of the road,” said Colon Andrews, chairman of the Commerce Council of the Pioneer Valley Building, west of Massachusetts. “We care about the law of reducing inflation.”
The law and its $ 783 million directed – energy and climate changeIt is located in the part of the Donald Trump cross, said American Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., a union supporter who went to the Convention Monday morning after a weekend of appearances in the region.
“In Springfield and the cities of all Massachusetts and the country, there were millions of dollars to update the sustainability of housing, other buildings,” said Markey.
The law included a subsidy of $ 20 million in the city of Springfield for projects such as road work, supervising air quality and planting 1,000 trees.
Construction at Massachusetts veterans’ house in Holyoke in January. (Patrick Johnson / Special for Republican, File)The Republican
“So all this is in question,” Markey told a journalist. “All this is under attack by Donald Trump.”
Promised to fight to maintain this funding. “Although (Trump) has made a promise to the oil and gas industry that will end with all the (ACT),” Markey said.
Of the brands, Markey reminded the multitude of blue neck that his environmental defense was mixed with a vision that would be a union work that managed the work.
The same goes for spending on infrastructure and health care, which also risk, he said.
“This funding has already been authorized. It has already been appropriate. It has already been signed by the law, “Markey said.” Trump tries to act like a king, not as a president. So we will have to bring him to court. “
On Monday afternoon, Markey went to Washington, where a budget battle was performed. According to reports, the House GOP struggled to get enough votes in its own Caucus to vote yes in a costs bill and to avoid a government stop.
“I think as evil becomes more evident in the purple districts, which many Republicans will now be afraid, not of God, but of the voters who could lose the seats,” said Markey. “Republicans will have to decide: Are they more afraid of Trump than voters? Because they will have to pay a price, one way or another. My hope is that there is at least a good handful, and this will be enough to block the most draconies of the cuts. “”
Abundant jobs now
Francis X. “Frank” Callahan, president of the unions of the Massachusetts building, said that times are good for union construction workers. The jobs are abundant, despite the unions’ unemployment rate last month. It could be time.
Or could be a nefarious sign.
“It is a lot of uncertainty right now,” said Callahan.
But it is cautiously optimistic when it comes to federal funding.
“We are told that the Healey administration worked with the administration of Biden to the end,” he said. “They secured the funds.”
The funds are for what he called the next megaprojectes of the state, such as the reconstruction of the Sagamore bridge A CAPE COD, where $ 350 million was announced in federal financing in early October and the exchange of $ 2 billion from Massachusetts Turnpike to Allston-Brighton.
Governor Maura Healey joins the federal and state leaders in the Sagamore recreation area in Bourne on July 16 to celebrate new federal funds to replace the Sagamore Bridge. (Joshua Qualls, governor, file)The Westfield News
Then there are $ 472 million to replace a drawing to North station to Boston.
“They tell us they did everything they could and that we are quite optimistic that money could still come,” said Callahan. “Once again, it is a lot of uncertainty.”
Also uncertain are high sea wind projects, including Vineayard Wind, which cut workers in January in response to an executive order of Trump.
There are also the updates planned in the Port of Salem, a project that would make the port ready to support the development of the high seas wind and to receive more cruise traffic.
Some shining dots
Callahan said that unions are waiting for a constant flow of state -supported projects, especially from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Governor Maura T. Healey and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell will talk to the union group on Tuesday.
In the meantime, the house of veterans, the subject of a discussion of the morning group, has before planned. And, Callahan, said that the unions are also seeing the process of replacing the Roderick Ireland court here in Springfield, a planned job generator.
The convention is housed every year at MGM Springfield because the Casino of $ 970 million, such as the Veterans’ House, built under a project work agreement that requires union construction workers. The state legislature launched the two agreements.