On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) concerning the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail. By way of background, TTD consists of 33 affiliate unions, including unions representing freight rail workers and first responders.[1] In responding to this notice, TTD strongly endorses the comments filed by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, Transportation Division (SMART-TD).
Dear Representative: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 5351, introduced by Representatives Brian Higgins (D-NY) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) that would facilitate the use of domestic waterborne transportation and create good jobs in the maritime, longshore and shipbuilding sectors. Specifically, this bill would end the unfair and unnecessary double taxation imposed on cargo that arrives via ocean vessels and then uses domestic ships or barges for delivery to another U.S. port or harbor.
On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) concerning Grade Crossing Action Plans. TTD consists of 33 affiliate unions, including unions representing railroad operating crews, workers who install and maintain crossing-grade signal systems, and first responders.
On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 5170, The Safe Skies Act, recently introduced by Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), John Katko (R-NY), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). H.R. 5170 would close a dangerous aviation safety loophole by mandating that pilots that fly all-cargo aircraft are covered by the same flight duty and rest requirements that currently apply to commercial passenger pilots.
Dear Mr. Wiedefeld and Mr. Smedberg: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I urge you to take immediate steps to ensure that drivers and other workers currently employed at the Cinder Bed Road Metrobus facility and at Fairfax Connector receive a fair and just contract with comparable pay and benefits to those enjoyed by WMATA employees.
On behalf of the Transportation Trade Department, AFL-CIO, I urge you to support H.R. 5119, the Safe Aircraft Maintenance Standards Act, when the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee considers it during tomorrow’s markup. This important, bipartisan legislation will help ensure one level of safety and security for all maintenance performed on U.S. aircraft, whether at home or abroad.
As this committee begins to consider Amtrak reauthorization, and the intercity passenger rail networks of the future, we are proud to present a unique perspective from the Amtrak workforce. In addition to the TTD affiliated unions also testifying today, our unions represent workers across nearly every position in the passenger rail network – these are the workers who operate trains, maintain and repair equipment, oversee safe operations along routes, provide high quality customer service both on and off-board, and construct facilities. They are the workers who ensure that the 32 million trips taken on Amtrak every year, across more than 20,000 miles of track, and in nearly every state in this country, are met with the highest level of service and safety possible.
On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) concerning Flight Attendant Duty Period Limitations and Rest Requirements. By way of background, TTD consists of 33 affiliate unions, including unions representing flight attendants, and unions whose members work cooperatively with flight attendants to maintain safety aboard commercial aircraft.[1] In responding to this notice, TTD strongly endorses the comments filed by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transport Workers Union.
Proponents of “free trade” have long argued that the lowering of trade barriers between nations sparks economic growth by providing cheaper goods for consumers at home and opening new markets for U.S. products abroad. However, those of us in the labor movement have long understood that the realities of free trade rarely live up to the promise. The decks are too often stacked against U.S. workers, and free trade agreements too often allow multi-national corporations to exploit workers throughout the world—all in search of increased profits. Furthermore, the “protections” built into agreements are so rarely enforced as to render them meaningless.
Our nation’s early history and sustained economic growth are intertwined with the use of waterborne transportation to move goods and people to both key population centers and rural communities. Yet today, domestic maritime services are significantly underutilized even as our surface transportation network struggles to keep up with demand and as the U.S. maritime and shipbuilding industries seek out new commercial opportunities. By supporting the deployment of a short sea shipping industry—the use of commercial vessels for the carriage of commodities along American’s seacoasts and inland waterways—we can create good U.S. jobs, enhance sound environmental and energy policies and relieve congestion on existing highways. All with minimal cost to the federal taxpayers.