New Study Finds Construction Equipment Workers Mired In Economic Depression

Source: IHS Global Insight, September 2009

Start Us Up USA! will kick-off today in Las Vegas, Nevada with a caravan of idle equipment parading down "The Strip."  New equipment sitting idle in manufacturer's warehouses or on dealer lots is usually much cleaner and more efficient than machines currently in use.  MaryKaye Cashman, whose Caterpillar dealership is the seventh-largest privately held business in Nevada, said her company is typical of so many others in the industry.  She reports that sales are down by 50 percent, and she has 25 percent fewer employees today compared to her peak business a few years ago. 

Besides Las Vegas, equipment industry workers and leaders will be organizing similar grassroots protests across the country.  The Start Us Up USA! campaign will culminate in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, October 28th with a rally on Capitol Hill, and organizers expect to target Chicago, Louisville and potentially other cities for idle equipment caravans along the way.  Finally, campaign leaders unveiled a new website - www.StartUsUpUSA.com - where visitors can find the latest information, share stories on how the construction equipment depression has affected them, post photos and videos, and learn how they can help. 

"A safer, less congested transportation network is critical for America's future economic prosperity," concluded AEM and AED.  "Just as importantly, investing in these needed infrastructure improvements will spur a recovery in the struggling construction and manufacturing sectors while creating millions of good-paying jobs.  Unnecessary delay in passing a transportation bill will prolong this depression for the men and women working in our industry - not to mention force Americans to wait for safer roads and increased transit options."

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (www.aem.org) is the North American-based international trade association for the off-road equipment manufacturing industry serving the construction, agriculture, forestry, mining and utility markets. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in Washington, D.C., Ottawa, Beijing and a European presence in Brussels. It represents more than 800 companies.

The Associated Equipment Distributors (www.aednet.org) is an international trade association representing companies involved in the distribution, rental and support of equipment used in construction, mining, forestry, power generation, agriculture and industrial applications.