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Labor group credits Obama for transportation job gains; knocks Romney response
The AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department is crediting President Obama for gains in transportation employment in the latest jobs report.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday that the transportation sector had 17,000 jobs as part of an overall increase of 114,000 jobs in September. The hiring boost brought the national unemployment rate down to 7.8 percent, the first dip below 8 percent since Obama took office.
AFL-CIO TTD President Ed Wytkind said Friday afternoon that Obama's policies were responsible for the uptick in transportation employment.
“Transportation workers are seeing their ranks grow steadily under job-creating policies put forth by President Obama," Wytkind said in a statement, citing the 17 percent increase in transportation jobs from August. “President Obama’s efforts to steadily improve the economy and create jobs are coming to fruition."
"For the transit and ground passenger transportation sector alone, 9,200 jobs were created just in the last month, a 9.2 percent increase over August," he said. "The rail sector saw an increase of 1,400 jobs. While more needs to be done to create and sustain employment across all modes of transportation, we know the president’s focus on middle-class job creation is working, and is putting our economy on the right trajectory."
The AFL-CIO has endorsed Obama's bid for reelection over his Republican opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Wytkind criticized Romney's comments on the unemployment numbers Friday, when the GOP presidential hopeful dismissed the dip in unemployment as a byproduct of people stopping their searches for jobs.
Wytkind said however that the jobs report was "another clear reminder of the choice in this election for our members.
"It is a choice between a president who has made modernizing and expanding our transportation system a centerpiece of his economic agenda, and his opponent whose plan for America would cut half a million transportation jobs in his first year in office through reckless budget-slashing,” he said.
