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• The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations was founded in 1955, and consists of 56 national and international labor unions. For more information, visit the website www.aflcio.org.

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  • Members of Indiana and Kentucky labor unions attend a rally Tuesday evening at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater organized by the AFL-CIO. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen

    10-19 Jobs Rally1.w.jpg

  • William Londrigan, president of the Kentucky chapter of the AFL-CIO, speaks to a crowd of more than 100 workers Tuesday evening at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater about the importance of creating new jobs. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen

    10-19 Jobs Rally2.w.jpg

  • Nancy Guyott, president of the Indiana chapter of the AFL-CIO, speaks to a worker Tuesday evening at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater about the importance of creating new jobs. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen

    10-19 Jobs Rally3.w.jpg

  • More than 100 workers attend a jobs rally Tuesday at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater. The event was organized by the AFL-CIO. Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen

    10-19 Jobs Rally4.w.jpg

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October 19, 2011

Union leaders high on Obama’s jobs plan

By DANIEL SUDDEATH Daniel.Suddeath@newsandtribune.com

NEW ALBANY — Using the closed Sherman Minton Bridge as a backdrop, labor union leaders called for Congress to pass President Barack Obama’s $450 billion jobs package during a rally at the New Albany Amphitheater on Tuesday.

Indiana and Kentucky AFL-CIO officials cited high unemployment levels and lack of investment in the country’s infrastructure as reasons for the U.S. Senate and House to OK Obama’s proposal. The Senate is expected to break the legislation into smaller pieces for votes as early as this week after the full measure died without Republican support. A portion of Obama’s jobs package calls for $50 billion to be spent on upgrading bridges, roads and other infrastructure.

Though the legislation wouldn’t impact the Sherman Minton — as Hall Contracting has been awarded a bid to repair the span by March 2 for $13.9 million to be split by Kentucky, Indiana and federal funds — union officials said there are still thousands of bridges that need to be improved across the country.

“There are plenty of workers that are ready to go to work,” said Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott.

She referred to the Sherman Minton closure as “a symbol of what’s going on in community after community after community in this nation.”

The rally was one of several spearheaded by AFL-CIO nationwide this week as part of its “America Wants to Work” campaign. The New Albany event brought about 100 workers and unemployed Kentucky and Indiana residents together.

Kentucky State AFL-CIO President William Londrigan said the rallies help people and legislators “focus on the critical need for creating good jobs for the people in Indiana and Kentucky, and of course the country.”

“We’re here to reaffirm the belief that our nation is built by the people that work for a living,” he said.

Londrigan and Guyott accused Congress of stalling on the jobs proposal, a similar message to the one Obama carried as he toured North Carolina and Virginia this week.

“We just need our leaders to show a little bit of will, and to do the right thing,” Guyott said.

The mention of Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky drew a chorus of disparaging words from the crowd. As McConnell does not support Obama’s jobs plan, Kentucky worker Sandy Morgan collected signatures on a petition in favor of the legislation during the rally to send to the Kentucky senator.

“I think there’s something in the bill for everyone, definitely some jobs,” she said.

But McConnell told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Obama is using his bus tour as a campaign platform as much as a method to gain support for his jobs plan.

“The president, I think, has become convinced that the economy is not likely to be much better a year from now. So he has started the campaign 13 months early and he’s trying to convince the American people that it’s anybody else’s fault but his that we’re where we are,” McConnell told the AP. “I don’t think the American people are going to fall for it. He’s been the president now for three years.”

Along with New Albany, there were AFL-CIO rallies in Gary and South Bend on Tuesday. Guyott drove to the New Albany rally from Indianapolis, as she said it was distinct because it showed solidarity between Kentucky and Indiana labor leaders.

“When it comes to jobs, when it comes to getting this economy working, there are no borders,” she said.

Guyott touted Obama’s plan as an immediate fix to what she deemed a national jobs crisis.

“We can create more than 1 million jobs, and these are good jobs, and we can create them now,” she said.

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David Keller stands with his granddaughter Ashley Keller in front of his home in Floyds Knobs on Tuesday afternoon. Keller was the recipient of a double lung transplant in 2007 and this month marks the anniversary of his surgery.

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