We’re carrying our message to the steps of the Capitol, but we want to see you along the way. Join us at one of our upcoming rallies and show your support for the construction and equipment industry.
January 20, 2010 - San Antonio, TX
October 28, 2009 - Washington, D.C.
WHAT:
The construction equipment industry will hold a rally of construction equipment industry workers and other allies on the National Mall in Washington, DC as part of Start Us Up USA! This national grassroots campaign is calling on the federal government to swiftly reauthorize federal road, bridge, transit and rail programs to spur a jobs recovery now. A caravan of idle heavy construction equipment around Capitol Hill will follow the rally.
WHY:
Three days after this rally the current highway programs expire on Oct. 31st. The White House and many lawmakers want to pass an 18-month extension and move on. This is unacceptable! An extension will not create the market certainty contractors need to invest in new equipment or hire workers. Only a multi-year reauthorization will spur real economic growth. Representatives from the construction and equipment industry, along with local business and labor leaders, are calling on the federal government to move now to reauthorize the highway bill
The 550,000 jobs shed by the construction equipment industry in the past year have touched every state. Click here to see the state-by-state impact of jobs lost.
SPEAKERS:
- Toby Mack, President and CEO, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED)
- Dennis Slater, President, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
- Ray Poupore, Executive Vice President, National Construction Alliance
- Additional industry representatives from labor, contractors, etc.. will be added
- Invited Members of Congress
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 11:30 a.m. with a formal presentation
WHERE:
National Mall along 7th Street and Jefferson Street, by the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden
DETAILS:
Following formal remarks, a caravan of idle heavy construction equipment will "start up" its engines and parade the area to urge the federal government to stop job loss by supporting long term transportation and highway legislation.
RSVP:
Please RSVP to Karah Street at kstreet@stratacomm.net or 248.824.8224 by Monday, October 27.
VISUALS:
- Caravan of idle construction equipment
- Local construction workers rallying to protect their jobs
- Display of several pieces of construction equipment that remain idle due to the construction downturn
October 20, 2009 - Chicago, Illinois
WHAT:
The construction equipment industry will hold a rally of construction equipment industry workers and other allies at Soldier Field in Chicago as part of Start Us Up USA! This national grassroots campaign calls on the federal government to swiftly reauthorize federal road, bridge, transit and rail programs to spur a jobs recovery now. A caravan of idle heavy construction equipment around the Soldier Field campus will follow the rally.
WHY:
Scarcity of new federal funding for transportation improvements is contributing to a deep depression and significant job loss in the construction equipment industry. Representatives from the construction and equipment industry, along with local business and labor leaders, are calling on the federal government to move now to reauthorize federal transportation funding that expired on September 30th. Companies all over the nation, like greater Chicago's West Side Tractor Sales Co., a mainstay in the Chicagoland community since 1962, have never experienced times as difficult as these. Industry-wide sales are down by 50 percent and equipment companies have laid off more than one-third of their workers since the start of the recession.
In September, IHS Global Insight released new data highlighting the economic impact of the construction equipment depression in Illinois. The state is among the top 10 states hardest hit by the construction equipment industry downturn, translating to a loss of nearly $9.5 billion and 33,000 jobs lost. This data reveals how economically critical infrastructure projects are, including the expansion of the Eisenhower Expressway and the numerous improvements that are part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program. According to CREATE, if infrastructure issues and rail capacity are not addressed, the Chicago region is at risk to lose another 17,000 jobs and $2 billion in annual economic production within two decades.
SPEAKERS:
- Toby Mack, President and CEO, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED)
- Dennis Slater, President, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
- Diane Benck, Vice President General Operations, West Side Tractor Sales Co.
- Jerry Roper, President and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Other local business leaders and labor representatives who understand the importance of transportation/highway investments
WHEN:
Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 10 a.m. with a formal presentation
WHERE:
Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus Dr., South Parking Lot - south of E. 18th Drive, between Lake Shore Drive and Fort Dearborn Drive.
DETAILS:
Following formal remarks, a caravan of idle heavy construction equipment will "start up" its engines and parade the area to urge the federal government to stop job loss by supporting long term transportation and highway legislation.
RSVP:
Please RSVP to Karah Street at kstreet@stratacomm.net or 248.824.8224 by Monday, October 19.
VISUALS:
- Caravan of idle construction equipment
- Dozens of local construction workers rallying to protect their jobs
- Display of several pieces of construction equipment that remain idle due to the construction downturn
September 29, 2009 - Las Vegas, Nevada
WHAT:
A rally of construction equipment workers and other allies will be held in Las Vegas to launch Start Us Up USA! This national grassroots campaign calls on the federal government to reauthorize transportation funding for our roads, bridges, transit and rail to spur a jobs recovery now. At the conclusion of the rally, a caravan of idle heavy construction equipment will parade down Las Vegas Boulevard.
WHY:
A scarcity of new federal funding for transportation improvements is contributing to a deep depression of the construction equipment industry and significant job loss. Companies all over the nation like Las Vegas's Cashman Equipment Company, one of the largest privately-owned employers in Nevada, are seeing sales down by 50 percent. Representatives of the construction and equipment industry will call on the federal government to move now to reauthorize Federal transportation funding which expires on September 30th., They will also release a new report from IHS Global Insight detailing brand new economic data that highlights the problems and discusses how critical infrastructure projects are critical to increase safety, ease traffic congestion and strengthen our nation's competitiveness, like the much needed improvements underway to Interstate 15 through Las Vegas.
SPEAKERS:
- Toby Mack, President and CEO, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED)
- Dennis Slater, President, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
- MaryKaye Cashman, Chairman and CEO, Cashman Equipment Company
Other local business leaders who understand the importance of transportation investments.
WHEN:
Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 10 a.m. with a formal presentation
WHERE:
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 3150 Paradise Road, Gold Lot 4.Intersection of Paradise Rd. and East Convention Center Drive
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