Union criticizes Romney for neglecting transportation in acceptance speech

By Keith Laing - 08/31/12 08:39 AM ET

The AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department is sharply criticizing Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for not talking about transportation in his speech accepting the GOP nomination Thursday night.

AFL-CIO TTD President Ed Wytkind tweeted after Romney’s speech that transportation was entirely missing from his remarks.

“I don't think @MittRomney mentioned the word transportation in 39 minutes. Sad,” Wytkind said on his Twitter page.

The AFL-CIO has endorsed President Obama in his bid for reelection. The union has taken aim at the speakers of the Republican convention all week.

“Ryan Speech Edit 1: clearly someone edited out Ryan's plan to cut 500,000 transportation jobs a yr for the next 4 yrs,” Wytkind tweeted after Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) accepted the GOP’s vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday.

Wytkind said in a statement before Romney’s speech, “[Y]ou won’t hear that they believe in an America that tolerates longer commutes, deteriorating public transit systems, shaky bridges, an aging air traffic control system and airport network, crumbling and congested highways and capital-starved seaports and waterways that can’t keep pace with the global economy.”