Stressing the needs for jobs and investment, IAM 751 announces support for faster transit and road repairs in Seattle.
SEATTLE – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers District 751 this week announced their endorsement of Seattle Prop. 1.
“Our roads are falling apart. More people are looking for faster, reliable transit. Now more than ever, it’s critical for our local economy to have a functioning transportation system,” said Larry Brown, Director of Legislative and Political affairs with IAM 751. “Prop. 1 is a balanced proposal that will create needed construction jobs and, just as important, help thousands of workers in Seattle everyday get to their jobs on safer roads and in faster transit.”
Designed by a citizen panel, Prop. 1 will implement a $60 annual vehicle license fee in Seattle for 10 years to pay for better transit, increased road maintenance and pedestrian and family-friendly bicycle infrastructure.
If passed, the measure will invest $69 million into repaving, repairing and maintaining Seattle’s streets over a 10 year period. It doubles the amount of street repairs Seattle will be able to make annually.
“The support Prop. 1 is getting from the labor community demonstrates how it benefits working families,” said Craig Benjamin, Co-Chair of Streets for All Seattle. “People depend on fast transit and safe roads so they can get to their jobs. Prop. 1 delivers on both and will help middle-class families immediately.”
With roughly half of the total funds dedicated to transit ($100 million over 10 years), Prop. 1 will make buses in Seattle move up to 20% faster and more reliably.Over $2 million per year will help improve neighborhood access and connections to transit, helping the system better serve low-income and traditionally underserved communities.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO District 751 represents the 45,000 active, retired and laid-off workers at The Boeing Company in Puget Sound. Their endorsement also comes as the Martin Luther King County Labor Council and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46 have also recently endorsed.
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