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Letters To Congress

VOTE ALERT: FAA Pilot Retirement Age Amendment

By Admin

Dear Representative: As the Committee continues consideration of the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) urges you to oppose the poison pill amendment outlined below. As the largest transportation labor federation representing 37 unions and millions of workers across the United States, safety is at the […]

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House Must Reject Poison Pills in FAA Reauthorization Bill

By Admin

June 12, 2023 Dear Representatives, As you move to mark up the FAA reauthorization legislation, we write to reiterate labor’s interest in moving a bipartisan bill that is safety-focused. Finalizing a reauthorization bill before the current authorization expires is critical to continued aviation operations, and ensuring that the legislation affirms the U.S. as the gold […]

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Weakening State Preemption Laws Will Weaken Airline Workers’ Rights

By Admin

On behalf of the undersigned labor organizations representing employees of airlines and airline contractors, we write to declare in no uncertain terms our opposition to efforts to amend the Airline Deregulation Act (ADA) or otherwise statutorily preempt state and municipal labor and related policy for airline workers.

In 1978 Congress limited ADA preemption so as not to foreclose state and local regulation of traditional areas of state concern regarding labor and employee issues as applied to aviation workers. By expressly tailoring preemption of state law only to circumstances where the states directly regulate customer-centric prices, routes, and airline service, Congress balanced the industry’s need for uniformity in its relation to the traveling public while respecting the states’ traditional ability to protect and support its citizens. Our members, like workers throughout the economy, avail themselves of the benefits provided by state and local governments to care for sick spouses, children, and to address medical concerns outside the protections provided by their collective bargaining agreements. These long-established protections should not be arbitrarily foreclosed. As Congress recently observed in the railroad industry, transportation workers care significantly about matters unrelated to pay, and the flexibility to provide and care for oneself and family is necessary for a stable industry. Attempts to expand the intent and statutory framework of federal preemption or to swallow up and preclude these important state law rights will negate this significant progress.

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Oppose H.R. 2811 Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023

By Admin

April 26, 2023 Oppose H.R. 2811 Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 Dear Representative:  On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), and the millions of transportation workers that we represent, I urge you to oppose the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811) when it is put to a vote in the […]

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Offshore Wind Developers Must Hire U.S. Workers in U.S. Waters

By Admin

As the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee considers the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2023, we write to express our views on a provision that would require the employment of U.S. workers in the development and operation of the emerging offshore wind industry.

Last Congress, the House of Representatives passed the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, with overwhelming bipartisan support. Specifically, Section 518 of this legislation would require that foreign vessels utilize either U.S. mariners or citizens of the vessel’s flag state while operating in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Similar to the current provision, this language represents an important policy discussion about the need for offshore wind developers to make long-term investments in hiring U.S. workers, particularly in the installation, operation, and maintenance of offshore wind turbines.

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TTD Urges Congress to Improve U.S. Aircraft Maintenance Safety

By Admin

On behalf of the millions of aviation workers that we represent, I urge you to support the bipartisan Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act, H.R.1716, to ensure the safe and proper oversight of foreign repair stations in countries like El Salvador, Mexico, and China, where maintenance and repair work is performed on U.S. commercial aircraft. China is the single largest beneficiary of these regulatory loopholes.

The FAA has certified 93 aircraft repair facilities in China, employing nearly 23,000 mechanics and maintenance specialists working on U.S. aircraft. Every single one of these facilities is owned, at least in part, by the Chinese government. The threat of the Chinese government’s involvement in our air travel is troublesome, especially since a U.S. worker may never maintain this equipment if these aircraft cycle out of the country each time a significant repair is needed.

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Support Maritime Security Program Funding in FY’24 THUD Appropriations

By Admin

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), and the many maritime workers that we represent. I urge you to sign the bipartisan Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT), Robert Wittman (R-VA), and Trent Kelly (R-MS) requesting the fully authorized level of $318,000,000 for the Maritime Security Program (MSP) in the FY 2024 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill.

The Maritime Security Program is an essential component of our military sealift capability because it guarantees that trained U.S. citizen mariners will be available in times of crisis or disaster. The program provides a stipend to commercial shipping companies to enable them to continue sailing U.S.-flag vessels, at a fraction of the cost it would take the federal government to replicate similar maritime shipping capacity. The dual public health and global security crises caused by COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine are a meaningful reminder that the United States should be in control of our commercial goods, energy production, and cargo transportation needs.

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TTD Urges Senate Commerce to Confirm Phil Washington as FAA Administrator

By Admin

March 16, 2023 The Honorable Maria Cantwell Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate 254 Russell Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Ted Cruz Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate 254 Russell Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chair Cantwell and Ranking Member Cruz: On behalf of the AFL-CIO […]

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Congress Must Meet Amtrak’s Funding Needs to Expand Service, Hire Staff During Historic IIJA Expansion

By Admin

The Honorable Brian Schatz Chair Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Senate Appropriations Committee United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable David Price Chair Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee House Appropriations Committee United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Susan Collins Ranking Member Transportation, […]

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Support the Bipartisan Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act

By Admin

On behalf of workers across the airline industry, we are writing to encourage you to support the bipartisan Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 7321) when it comes up for a vote on the House floor. This legislation removes incentives for airlines to offshore maintenance jobs by closing safety loopholes which allow US-aircraft to be repaired on lower safety standards at FAA-certified facilities abroad.

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