Scott Hammond, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rick Perdue, Jeff Rowe, and Jeff Mueller

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today met with members of the Cincinnati Building Trades, a labor union, about the consolidation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) facilities in Cincinnati. Brown and Cincinnati Building Trades are urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to use a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) to create good-paying jobs for local workers, while also saving taxpayers money by keeping the project on time and within budget.

“NIOSH research is critical and often life-saving – the consolidation of its facilities must be completed on schedule so its employees can continue their important work,” Brown said. “Using a Project Labor Agreement helps ensure high quality work that’s completed on time and it will protect the taxpayers’ investment in this project. Project Labor Agreements also stimulate the region’s economy by creating good-paying jobs for local builders, and I’ve urged CDC Director Frieden to consider these benefits.”

If a PLA is used for the NIOSH construction, regardless of the contractor chosen to consolidate the facilities, all workers on the project will be skilled workers hired out of the local union hall. This will ensure that workers receive fair wages and benefits and will prevent taxpayers from having to shoulder the expense of a delayed project. In February 2009, President Obama encouraged the use of PLAs for federal construction projects in an executive order.

In December, Brown announced that the $110 million in federal funds he secured in February to advance construction and site consolidation at NIOSH would remain in the Fiscal Year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill. Both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives originally passed spending bills that would have eliminated funding for this project. Brown’s efforts to protect the Non-Recurring Expense Fund – the account from which this project will be funded – ensured the future of this project.

The funds Brown protected will consolidate NIOSH’s Cincinnati facilities into one central location to improve and enhance scientific collaboration, as employees conduct research and make recommendations to prevent work-related injury and illness. The funding will also ensure that there are appropriate and adequate research facilities for NIOSH’s scientific program and will reduce operating costs by consolidating two separate campuses.

 

 

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