Obama’s Keystone Choice: Workers Or The 1%

Unions ‘Urge The President To Sign This Bill,’ Ignore ‘Deep Pocketed Billionaire’

Unions: ‘Washington Should Put Job Creation And The Livelihoods Of Working Men And Women Ahead Of … Deep Pocketed Billionaire Funders’

TEAMSTERS: ‘I urge the president to sign this bill,’ ‘construction of the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline will jump-start local economies by creating good-paying jobs.’ “With the passage of the Keystone Pipeline Act by the House of Representatives today, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa is urging President Obama to sign the legislation when it reaches his desk. … ‘The construction of the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline will jump-start local economies by creating good-paying jobs along the proposed corridor,’ Hoffa said. ‘The project will also promote enhanced energy security and economic prosperity. I urge the president to sign this bill and help put thousands of Americans to work.’” (Teamsters, Press Release, 2/11/15)

ELECTRICAL WORKERS: “At a time when job creation should be a top priority, the Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL) project will put Americans back-to-work and have ripple benefits throughout the economy. During construction the project is expected to support at least 42,000 jobs and contribute $3.4 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.” (Edwin Hill, IBEW President, Letter To Congress, 1/8/15)

OPERATING ENGINEERS: “The project is expected to generate approximately 3,000 job-years for Operating Engineers alone. With congressional approval of the pipeline, you can unleash this massive economic activity at no cost to taxpayers.” (James Callahan, IUEOE President, Letter To Reps. Boehner & Pelosi, 1/7/15)

PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS: ‘This shovel-ready project will put thousands of hardworking men and women to work at zero cost to taxpayers’ “On behalf of the 370,000 members of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the Unites States, Canada, and Australia (UA), I urge you to support H.R. 3, a bill to approve the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. This shovel-ready project will put thousands of hardworking men and women to work at zero cost to taxpayers.” (William Hite, UA President, Letter To Congress, 1/8/15)

NORTH AMERICA’S BUILDING TRADES UNIONS: “This vote is, pure and simple, a vote for American jobs… The livelihood of thousands of Building Trades members depend on the construction of Keystone XL.” (Sean McGarvey, BCTD President, Letter To Congress, 1/7/15)

LiUNA: “…this legislation is a jobs bill for the thousands of union construction workers that will build this Pipeline. If Members… want to oppose the Pipeline for partisan political reasons, they should at least have the guts to say so. To try to justify their pandering to environmental extremists and their billionaire backers by attacking the jobs that the Pipeline would create is cowardly. … Enough is enough!”” (Terry O’Sullivan, LiUNA! President, Letter To Congress, 1/8/15)

“To be relevant with the working class, Democratic leaders in Washington should put job creation and the livelihoods of working men and women ahead of the ravings of environmental wing-nuts and their deep pocketed billionaire funders. They should get out and meet the men and women who need real jobs and stop putting politics before people.” (“Senate Democrats Assault On The Working Class,” LiUNA! 11/18/14)

TRUMKA: “AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka urged the new Republican-controlled Congress and the White House to get together and approve the controversial, long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline project, saying it would boost the economy. ‘There are a number of economic issues and job issues that we want them to get done. That happens to be one of them. So the answer is “yes.” We want to get every jobs issue that we can out and as many jobs created as we can to get the economy going,’ Trumka said…” (“AFL-CIO Urges Approval Of Keystone XL Pipeline,” Washington Examiner, 11/5/14)

AMERICANS: ‘By Nearly Two-To-One … Public Favors Building The Pipeline’

FOX NEWS: “Most Americans of all political stripes support construction of the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline, and want President Obama to sign legislation approving it… A 65-percent majority says Obama should sign the Keystone legislation, according to the poll.” (“Voters Want Obama To Sign Bill Approving Keystone Pipeline,” Fox News, 1/14/15)

CBS: “Sixty percent of Americans support building the Keystone XL Pipeline, while just 28 percent oppose… Eight in 10 Americans think the pipeline is likely to create a significant number of jobs, including 45 percent who think this is very likely.” (“Americans' View Of The Economy Most Positive In Eight Years,” CBS, 1/14/15)

PEW: “By nearly two-to-one (59% to 31%), the public favors building the pipeline, which would carry crude from Canadian oil sands to ports on the U.S. Gulf Coast…” (“How Americans view the top energy and environmental issues,” Pew Research, 1/15/15)

CNN: “The 1,179-mile Canada-to-Texas pipeline is backed by 57% of the 1,011 Americans surveyed on Dec. 18-21” (“Poll: Majority Of Americans Back Keystone Pipeline,” CNN, 1/15/15)

‘The Party's Liberal Financiers … Have Made Killing Keystone A Non-Negotiable Demand’

“…the billionaire getting the most political bang for his buck is Tom Steyer. The hedge-fund politico has pledged to raise $100 million to help Democrats… Mr. Steyer and the party's liberal financiers … have made killing Keystone a non-negotiable demand.” (“Tom Steyer's Keystone Victory,” Wall Street Journal, 4/20/14)

“Now that the Oscars are over, Hollywood is turning its attention to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. A slate of actors and musicians, including Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Robert Redford, Willie Nelson and Neil Young called on President Obama on Tuesday to put an end to the oil-sands project once and for all. ‘Rejecting Keystone XL is the kind of the principled choice leaders need to make…” (“Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin And Robert Redford Push Obama To Reject Keystone,” National Journal, 2/24/15)

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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Related Issues: Infrastructure, Middle Class, Keystone XL Pipeline, Jobs, Labor, Energy

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