America's Building Trades Unions Applaud Bipartisan Efforts to Address Hurricane Sandy Catastrophe

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Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO

Nov 01, 2012, 07:44 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sean McGarvey, President of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, today issued the following statement relating to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy:

"Today our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of the victims of Hurricane Sandy, and for those struggling with the devastating aftermath. Whenever tragedies like this strike our shores - whether they be diabolical atrocities like those perpetrated on 9/11, or whether they are natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy, we are all Americans! Each and every one of us feels the pain and suffering being endured by our fellow citizens, and all of us do what we can to help out.

To that end, our unions wish to applaud the example being set by President Barack Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to set partisan electoral differences aside and work in singular and cooperative fashion to relieve the pain and suffering of those whose lives have been turned upside down as a result of this catastrophic event. Like the brave first responders who have worked tirelessly since this storm hit the Eastern Seaboard, President Obama and Governor Christie do not see the victims of this tragedy as "Democrats" or "Republicans," they simply see them as "Americans" who are in dire need of the assistance and generosity of our government and its people.

America's Building Trades Unions hope that the rest of our nation's elected leaders take heed of the shining example being set by the President and the Governor. In fact, one has to wonder how different our economy and society would be today if members of the U.S. Congress would have embraced the same spirit of bi-partisan cooperation four years ago when the greatest economic calamity in our nation's history set upon us with a destructive fury that rivaled many U.S. natural disasters. Perhaps we would not have had to endure the brazen, unabashed, and completely selfish political gamesmanship that was purposely designed to foster gridlock for partisan advantage. And perhaps the U.S. construction industry would not be suffering from an unemployment rate today that continues to approach double the national average.

So, to those leaders, our unions say this: take note of the example being set by President Obama and Governor Christie and DO YOUR JOB!

And to those who have suffered so much as a result of this devastation, we pledge to you our help and assistance. Hang in there, and God bless you."

The Building and Construction Trades Department is an alliance of 13 national and international unions that collectively represent 2 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada

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SOURCE Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO