The MTA must build jobs for Americans |
The MTA will soon invest nearly $11 billion for new railcars for both the NYC subway and the suburban commuter rail lines. This long-needed investment — part of the $68 billion MTA capital plan — will deliver a safer, more reliable ride to millions of New Yorkers daily.
But the MTA’s investment isn’t just good news for commuters. Its capital plan presents a historic opportunity to make real progress on one of the most pressing issues facing our country today: how to create millions of good, family-supporting manufacturing jobs in the United States to help rebuild the middle class.
In recent years, political leaders have touted efforts to revive the U.S. manufacturing sector. Generations ago, unionized manufacturing jobs helped build a stable middle class in this country. We’ve watched that stability erode through deindustrialization and attacks on workers. Rebuilding requires using every tool we have to ensure manufacturing jobs are safe, dignified and well-paid. Public dollars must do more than purchase goods. They must build opportunity.
As the presidents of national unions representing workers at the MTA and in railcar manufacturing and maintenance, we’re........