Our federal government recently prioritized the profits of the freight rail industry over safety by refusing to set standards for crew train size. The same agency — the federal railroad administration — also declared state laws that do set crew size null and void, paving the way for freight trains, which can be up to […]
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The result of federal inaction and the misuse of funds is a sense that the days of doing big things are behind us. Our roads are crumbling. Our transit systems are struggling to drive strong demand. Our seaports are unequipped to accommodate growth in the movement of freight. Our airports are congested and flights are delayed. We look across the oceans at our greatest competitors and wonder why we cannot find the will to make the same investments they make in 21st century infrastructure.
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By Larry I. Willis
When Vice President Mike Pence toured the damage in America’s heartland caused by historic flooding, he pledged to work with Republicans and Democrats to ensure farmers and ranchers in Iowa and Nebraska receive the federal funding they need to rebuild. He was right to do so. Asking rural families to front the full cost of […]
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By Larry I. Willis
When Vice President Mike Pence toured the damage in America’s heartland caused by historic flooding, he pledged to work with Republicans and Democrats to ensure farmers and ranchers in Iowa and Nebraska receive the federal funding they need to rebuild. He was right to do so. Asking rural families to front the full cost of […]
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By Larry I. Willis
Some ideas are so mind-numbingly bad that they do not deserve a serious response. Moon advertising comes to mind. (That’s right. Advertisements projected across the moon. An idea so universally hated that Congress threatened to intervene in the early 90s despite the utter infeasibility of it.) Stopping hurricanes with hydrogen bombs. (No joke: an actual real life meteorologist championed this idea.) Rebooting Casablanca as a live TV musical event starring a cast of unruly kindergarten-aged children who missed naptime and who are all very upset about it. (As far as I know, nobody is pushing this one. Let’s hope it stays that way.)
Here’s one more for you: paying for America’s desperately underfunded highway infrastructure needs by eliminating all federal funding for public transportation.
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April 28 is Workers Memorial Day, a day to remember and honor those who lost their lives or have been injured at work. For the men and women who keep America moving, this holiday is especially poignant. Working on the frontlines of our transportation system is never without risk. Whether working with heavy equipment and […]
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TTD President Larry Willis testified before the National Mediation Board (NMB) yesterday on a proposed rule specifically designed to make it easier to decertify unions in the rail and aviation sectors and to bar workers from even being able to vote for union representation for two years after decertification. Willis told the NMB – and […]
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By Larry I. Willis
In an era when the economy is out of balance and stagnating wages are making it harder for working people to get by, our government should be pursuing policies that enhance the rights of workers and encourage them to join together in union. Sadly, a proposal by the National Mediation Board (NMB) does the opposite. […]
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TTD President Larry I. Willis highlighted for lawmakers the ways failing to invest in our transportation system impacts real people during separate hearings before the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Commerce Committees earlier this week. Citing commuters stuck in soul-crushing commutes, families burdened by a lack of public transit options, and aviation workers who […]
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By Larry I. Willis
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for a more just and fair society was driven by a belief that America can and should be a place where all people prosper together. By focusing on what unites us, rather than what divides us, Dr. King showed us there is strength in unity, and taught us the […]
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