TWU Local 100 Says YES to BQX

JUNE 12, Red Hook Houses – TWU International President John Samuelsen, along with Ya-Ting Liu Executive Director of the Friends of the BQX and community residents, announced TWU Local 100's support for the Brooklyn Queens Connector, a street car line that will unite waterfront neighborhoods from Sunset Park to Astoria, opening them up to mass transit and economic revitalization.

Samuelsen told the press that “the line will provide connectivity between the Brooklyn waterfront and the Queens waterfront, good transit for transit-starved neighborhoods. It will create union construction jobs to build out the project and then good solid union jobs to operate and maintain the system.”

Backed by community residents, he said: “These are not going to be low wage jobs. They’ll be good wage jobs, union jobs. Investment in rail transit projects is the great economic stimulator across this country. When you invest in mass transit, it employs many more workers. The businesses that develop along the new transit line also employ people. There’s a massive synergy that will supply economic benefit for working families up and down this line.

“New Yorkers are now going to have another viable transit alternative, that is sorely needed. There will be local hiring of kids across these neighborhoods that are served by these projects.” He also noted that the possibility exists to spark the creation of manufacturing jobs to supply parts and equipment for the new street car line.

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