S.O.U.L. e-Newsletter
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
We hope you all had a wonderful and safe Fourth of July! Celebrating with family and friends, good food, fireworks--what a way to spend your weekend!
National Labor Relations Board NLRB)
The NLRB protects and enforces the laws established in the National Labor Relations Act by investigating and resolving unfair labor practices. The NLRB also conducts elections for Labor Union representation. Recently, the NLRB issued a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking." According to the NLRB, the "proposed amendments are intended to reduce unnecessary litigation, streamline pre- and post- election procedures, and facilitate the use of electronic communications and document filing."
Attached to this e-Newsletter, you will find a table put together by the NLRB that shows side-by-side comparisons of current and proposed procedures.
Highway Bill
On June 29, 1956, President Eisenhower's signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, also known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, led to the creation of the Interstate System. In addition, the Highway Trust Fund was established to pay for 90% of highway construction, while states paid the remaining 10%. Not only would this Act ease travel, it would change the trucking industry, lead to a building boom but most importantly, it created jobs.
In March of this year, President Obama signed a 6-month extension to the current highway bill. This means there will be funding for highways and public transportation through September of this year. But what happens after September? There is a need to preserve and maintain the infrastructure we currently have, but funding needs to be there and not just for 6 months. Working on our highway infrastructure will do what it did in the past--improve travel, provide much needed jobs, and help our economy.
Right now, there is a proposal by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) that would allocate $339.2 billion over a six-year period for surface transportation but even she acknowledges that her proposal may have to drop to a two-year bill. Why? Funding is the big issue. The gas tax has always been a major source of funding for these projects, but this has been decreasing due to more fuel efficient and electric automobiles on the roads. Solutions to this problem and others must happen. Our roads and bridges are an integral part of our society.
S.O.U.L Update
Local 177 charted the first SOUL Chapter on June 28! Congratulations! It was a great turnout for their first meeting and election of officers! Check out our Sisters of Union Laborers Facebook page for photos of the Charter members and officers!
Sincerely,
Megan Hardy
Researcher
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