A statement from LIUNA Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager Dennis L. Martire in response to the U.S. Department of Transportation awarding grants to nine projects through the MEGA Projects Program.

Reston, Va. (January 31, 2023) - With these selections, the Department of Transportation has shown that their guidance on labor standards is not to be taken lightly. While multiple factors were considered, strong labor standards were notably absent on two Virginia projects - I-64 and Connecting National Landing – that did not receive funding. We commend the Department of Transportation for honoring the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in their decision. Rewarding projects that lack collective bargaining, local hiring, and apprenticeship opportunities do not result in the family-supporting construction jobs that the IIJA aims to create. We encourage the Virginia Department of Transportation to pursue future grants on these projects after revisiting their labor standards, and we would gladly work with them to strengthen their labor standards.

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