At a roundtable discussion July 8 with Oregon construction union leaders, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) got an earful about Oregon’s construction slump, which has put large numbers of skilled construction workers out of work right now. Leaders of Oregon Building Trades Unions told Merkley their hopes for major projects to get moving soon, like the Interstate Bridge Replacement, Hood River-White Salmon bridge replacement, and a proposed Moda Center renovation.
Afterward, Merkley toured the mason trades and iron workers training centers in Portland.
Merkley has been a strong proponent of federal investment in infrastructure, and the week after his visit, he celebrated progress in the Senate on a water infrastructure bill. S. 4949 passed a committee and now heads to the Senate floor. If it passes, it would authorize projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to maintain Oregon’s ports, inland waterways, locks, and dams.
