Washington, D.C. (July 2, 2009) – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report released today shows 79,000 construction jobs lost in the last month. Currently, more than 1,601,000 construction workers are jobless and construction unemployment is at 17.4 percent. Since the start of 2007, 1,497,000 construction jobs have been lost.

LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – is leading the effort to put people back to work building America’s roads, bridges, schools, mass-transit, water and new energy systems.

LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan made the following statement on today’s jobs report:
We need to do more to create jobs for the 1.6 million unemployed construction workers in America.

Projects funded in the economic recovery plan are putting people back to work building America but even if the recovery plan reaches the goal of creating 700,000 construction jobs there will still 900,000 workers left behind and looking for paychecks. The economic recovery plan is not keeping up with the work that needs to be done or the workers who need jobs.

The loss of 79,000 construction jobs last month makes it especially disappointing that Transportation Secretary LaHood is calling for an 18 month delay on the surface transportation reauthorization. Any delay in the reauthorization will hinder the planning of transportation projects and when projects cannot be planned, jobs get cut. That would be more devastating news for construction workers who are already experiencing depression level unemployment.

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