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Supporters looking to bring SunRail to the Orlando area may have a new ally: Labor.

Mike Williams, newly elected president of the Florida AFL-CIO, said his organization will climb on board efforts to bring SunRail, high speed rail and other projects to Florida if the state lands federal stimulus dollars to fund the projects.

The union, which has opposed the SunRail package in recent years, would switch sides on the issue if federal money is used, Williams said. That’s because the federal money - $8 billion to be distributed nationally – would come with several requirements that alleviate concerns that prompted the union to oppose the package over the past few years.

“If SunRail is funded in part or wholly by federal stimulus dollars, we will fully support, enthusiastically support and get out and work to ensure that stimulus dollars come in for that project,” Williams told the News Service of Florida.

Florida has applied for up to $3 billion in stimulus funds being distributed through the Federal Rail Administration. Projects included in the application include SunRail, and a proposed high speed rail route linking Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

To receive the federal money, states must adhere to protections guaranteed under the federal Railroad Labor Act, which among other things protects railroad workers’ collective bargaining rights and pension funds. Federal assistance would also require that contractors pay the prevailing wage and benefits for work on the project.

Finally, federally funded projects have a “Buy-American” clause that requires them to look for domestic suppliers.

“What that does is solve all of our issues because of the strings attached to that money,” Williams said.

The union backing could add critical support to a controversial project derailed last year by, among other issues, questions of who would be responsible in the event of an accident.

In 2008, the House approved language of a liability agreement with CSX Corp., which the freight rail company had tied to the sale of the 61 miles of track that would be used to run SunRail trains. The bill cleared its only House committee in 2009, but died in the Senate when staunch opposition led by Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, brought it down on the floor.

In October, talk of a special session began as Senate President Jeff Atwater said the federal government was looking for action on other rail projects in Florida before it considers approving the state's $2.5 billion application for the first leg of the long proposed Tampa-Orlando-Miami bullet train.

In total, the state submitted three applications for some of the $8 billion that is available in the federal economic stimulus package for high speed rail, also asking for $432 for SunRail and $70 million for Atlantic Coast Amtrak service.
 
The possibility of new support from organized labor has longtime backers of central Florida passenger even more confident.
 
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he expected a December special session to be called -and that the rail package would be approved.
 
Dyer said that linking the Orlando-area SunRail project with a high-speed train plan added heft to the proposal. The changing stance of the AFL-CIO and the need to pump more money into sustaining South Florida's Tri-Rail also is helping forge political alliances among some of last spring's staunchest opponents to the SunRail effort, he said.
 
“I'm feeling very good about it," said Dyer, a former state Senate Democratic leader. "In this economy, the thousands of jobs these projects could create are needed, and I think it's hard for opponents to say 'no' to."

By MICHAEL PELTIER
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

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