More “Shovel Ready” Jobs Off To China.

Dear Mr. President.

As it turns out our “shovel ready jobs” were ready in China.  Perhaps we could focus a little less energy on whether or not Boeing can legally build the 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina, and ensure that this $470 billion dollar jobs bill provides work for the American worker.

• In New York there is a $400 million renovation project on the Alexander Hamilton Bridge.
• In California, there is a $7.2 billion project to rebuild the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland.
• In Alaska, there is a proposal for a $190 million bridge project.
• At the National Mall in Washington a thirty- foot statue, the centerpiece of a $120 million four-acre memorial to Dr. King, was constructed in China.

At the Alexander Hamilton Bridge in New York, China Construction America, a subsidiary of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation is running the project.  While U.S. workers are employed, the high-end jobs such as engineering and design is all Chinese….as is the profits.

In Alaska, we will spend tens of millions on foreign materials for the Tanana River Bridge and will build most of the bridge in China prior to final assembly in Alaska.

The law requires that major infrastructure projects have American companies receive preferential treatment under Buy America, but firms opt out when there is a major cost differential. In the Alaska decision makers maintain the cost differential favors the Chinese.

California flatly rejected federal funding for the Bay Bridge in order to go with a Chinese company that came in with the lowest bid. That cost us 3,000 jobs.   Seems California could use all the jobs it could get right about now.  I would say that America workers in New York and Alaska would have wanted those jobs as well.

Please ensure that the work associated with the redevelopment of our infrastructure is being performed by those people who are contributing the funding….the American Workers.

Thank you.