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Image of Oakland Leadership Urge Congressional Action: Put People Back to Work

Oakland Leadership Urge Congressional Action: Put People Back to Work

Press Releases, Airport, Community
August 2nd, 2011

Press Releases

For Immediate Release
August 2, 2011

Oakland Port-City Leadership Urge Congressional Action to Put People Back to Work

Mayor Quan, Port Commission, Labor, And Business Join With Workers To Call On Congress To Take Action On The Federal Aviation Administration

Mayor Jean Quan with Port Commissioner Victor Uno and FAA furloughed workers News conference in front of partially constructed FAA air traffic control tower
(left) Oakland Mayor Jean Quan with Port Commissioner Victor Uno and FAA furloughed workers.
(right) News conference in front of partially constructed FAA air traffic control tower at Oakland International Airport.

Oakland, Calif. – August 2, 2011– The Port of Oakland, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, the Alameda Labor Council and the Building Trades Council joined together today to urge the U.S. Congress to take immediate action on the reauthorization or extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to put furloughed FAA workers back on the job building important infrastructure at the Oakland International Airport (OAK).

The last FAA authorization expired on Saturday, July 23, furloughing 60 engineers and contractors at OAK who were working on a new, state-of-the-art, green air traffic control tower, which broke ground in October 2010. This FAA project was funded with $31 million from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, or federal stimulus bill, which was focused on creating jobs as soon as possible to get the recession-impacted economy going again. The new 236-foot tower is scheduled for completion in 2013 and will replace the two existing towers which were built in 1962 and 1972.

“Inaction on the FAA reauthorization has left sixty, hard-working Americans without jobs; stopped progress on an important project for our airport and the region; and kept the stimulus from doing what Congress intended it to do and what the American people needed it to do, especially here in the Port-City of Oakland – create jobs,” noted Port of Oakland Board First Vice President Gilda Gonzales.

“We need to continue growing our economy instead of fighting over jobs,” said Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. ”This shut down put 60 people out of work and that impacts our community greatly.”

"We have working men and women from the construction trades from throughout Alameda County, including some who are residents of Oakland, who were working on the new tower at the Oakland Airport until the FAA shutdown. These are hard times. People need and want to work and these are good jobs,” remarked Josie Camacho, Executive Secretary Treasurer, Alameda Labor Council. “The House Leadership should end partisan politics and put people back to work."

About the Port of Oakland: The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, the Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront in the City of Oakland. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport and fourth largest airport in California, offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port creates nearly 50,000 direct and indirect jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, and supports over 800,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. You can connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port of Oakland on Twitter or YouTube, or at www.portofoakland.com.

Media Contacts:

Isaac Kos-Read
External Affairs Director
(510) 292-5715
[email protected]