At LaGuardia and airports across America, construction workers clamor for Congress to give them back their jobs

Last week began with the hustle and bustle of any other work week at New York's LaGuardia Airport–except among the workers hired to demolish the old air traffic control tower.  Luca Toscano of Paul Scariano, Inc., had to deliver a painful message to his 40 employees: "Congress didn’t do its job. So, you are barred from doing yours."

At airports across America, the same story has been taking place.  With unemployment in the construction sector running in the double digits, Congress' failure to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration forced the FAA to issue stop-work orders on dozens of control tower construction projects already underway.

Meeting with workers at LaGuardia

The result?  As many as 70,000 construction workers and workers in related fields told they cannot come to their jobs.  In addition, 4,000 FAA employees have been sent home without pay in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

This is devastating news for them.  Tens of thousands of American households won’t receive paychecks–while their rent or mortgages, grocery costs, and back-to-school bills continue to pile up.  Contractors will stop buying supplies.  Small business owners will buy fewer goods for their restaurants and stores. 

These are blows America simply can’t afford.  And for what?   As Paul Fernandes of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York said, "We're losing jobs not because of forces beyond our control, but because of political dysfunction in Congress."

I went to LaGuardia this morning for one reason: Someone needs to stand up for working people in this country.  At job-sites like the one at LaGuardia, workers are ready, willing, and able to earn a needed day’s wage for a needed day’s labor.  The scaffolding is in place.  Luca Toscano's workers show up to do their jobs.  Then they’re told to go home–without pay.

FAA Administrator Babbitt joined me at LaGuardia

So, I hope Fast Lane readers will join me in calling on Congress to pass a clean FAA bill.

On 20 separate occasions since 2007, Congress has passed short-term measures to keep the FAA up and running.  And there is absolutely no reason that Congress can’t pass another clean extension while it works out the details of a longer-term vision for the future of America’s air transportation system.

“No doubt there are important policy questions that need to be resolved with the aviation legislation," said Stephen E. Sandherr chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America.  "But construction workers shouldn't have to suffer because Washington hasn't figured out a way to work out its differences.”.

That's exactly what Paul Fernandes was thinking when he said, "We have a simple message for Congress: You don't go on vacation from your jobs until you do your work to protect our jobs."

He's right about that.  Members of Congress need to do their work on behalf of the American people so they don't get on a plane to fly home for vacation without passing an FAA bill.

Tens of thousands of jobs and the best aviation system in the world depend on it.

Comments

[M]

The House has already done their job and passed reauthorization. The question is when will the Democrat controlled Senate do their job so we can put people back to work and continue to improve our aviation system.

[Beaumont CA REALTOR]

If we had government officials that really acted in the interests of the American people instead of politics and just worrying about re-election, we'd actually get somewhere with our economy!!!

[Michael E. Bailey]

I think it will be a lot harder gto get funding for discretionary programs. The Debt Ceiling Agreement will reduce discretionary program funding to the lowest level since the 1950s. And if the new Super-Committee can't reach agreement or if Congress can't pass their agreement, an additional $1.2 trillion will automatically be with held from discretionary programs. We could see funding for these programs go down almost to pre-W.W.1 levels soon after or just before the start of the new year. The FAA Bill is one example of what things will be like multiplied many times over in the next 10 years. I hope that the FAA bill is passed and soon--the economy badly needs the jobs and the purchasing power they provide. But Congress seems not to care about middle class working families, or working class families, or seniors; and I don't see much change in this until at least 2013. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[E Amend]

Dear Secretary LaHood -

Thank you for all of your hard work in addressing the FAA shutdown which has impacted FAA employees, contractors and their families. It is clear that you are working hard to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

I want to suggest to you to recommend to the President to invoke his authority under the U.S. Constituition to resolve this issue and call the Congress back into session to address this issue.

Under Article 2, Section 3, Clause 2, the President can recall the Congress back from recess for an "extraordinary session".

Given the current economic climate, I would say these are extraordinary times indeed. With more than 100,000 people affected by this shutdown (FAA, contractors, and families) and the potential loss of over $1B in tax revenue (source: WaPo 8/3/11), I think this might be a strategy worth careful consideration as this situation is certainly extraordinary!

It would certainly send the right message to Congress and the Nation about how serious the President is about job creation/protection and ensuring we minimize damage to the economy.

[Andrea Chay]

I think the aviation inspectors should not be required to do their jobs without pay. Are they part of the same authorization package or not? If they are, they should be furloughed also. I say this, not because I want them furloughed, but until the public realizes there is a real impact to this furlough, they will not put enough pressure on Congress to do their job and get this reauthorization passed. Like Bob Scheiffer from CBS News said, "I kind of wish they'd have shut the whole thing down", (meaning controllers, etc). Then Congress would have really sat up and taken notice".

[Andrea Chay]

I just watched the video from Sec. LaHood on Aug. 2nd. Safety is not compromised, and that is good. But therein lies the rub. Because the general public is not compromised in their travel, etc, they just don't care enough to get Congress to finish up their work. Republicans see it one way, and the Dems see it another. Neither are pushing Congress enough to get the simple problems worked out. The problem of riders attached to a bill allows it to hold important bills hostage. This is a flaw in our govenment's system that I wrote about to my Congressman way back in high school (40 years ago). Until this process of attaching riders to bills is eliminated, this type of holding up of bills will continue, and it is getting worse with the worsening political attitudes between the two (or three) parties that are out there.

[Asheville Photographer - Blue Bend Photography]

This is a travesty. The whole process of getting bills passed is flawed and needs to be rewritten.