Labor unions oppose privatizing TVA

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Arkansas-St. John's Live Blog

Organized labor may have backed President Obama, but America's biggest unions don't like the idea he floated in April to consider selling the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Labor unions representing more than 13 million American workers today approved a resolution to "fight to prevent the transfer of the publicly-funded Tennessee Valley Authority to private interests."

President Obama's Fiscal Year 2014 budget includes language aimed at the potential transfer of TVA to private interests.

"Privatization of TVA is a very bad idea," said Gay Henson, president of Engineering Association/ IFTPE Local 1937 in Chattanooga. Henson said privatization "would diminish the critical role that TVA has played in the region, negatively impact the economy of many states, and bring a catastrophic blow to the more than 13,000 jobs - many union jobs - at TVA."

Since 2005, Henson said, TVA services have preserved and created, "300,000 jobs and $32 billion in business investments."

"It's tremendously important to have the full backing of America's labor movement, representing millions of working families," said IFPTE international president Gregory Junemann. "The voice of our members will now be that much stronger in urging Congress to reject any attempt to dismantle TVA."

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