Policy

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to respond to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the modernization of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). TTD consists of 37 affiliated unions, representing the totality of rail labor and first responders who are vital to the safe transportation of hazardous materials.[1] We therefore have a vested interest in this matter. Additionally, TTD endorses the comments of our affiliates, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD). We respectfully request that the PHMSA take our feedback into consideration.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to respond to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) notice regarding a joint Request for Amendment (RFA) received from 20 rail carriers to modify their FRA-approved Positive Train Control Safety Plans (PTCSP) for their Interoperable Electronic Train Management Systems (I–ETMS). TTD consists of 37 affiliated unions representing the totality of rail labor and we therefore have a vested interest in this matter.[1] Additionally, TTD endorses the comments of our affiliate, the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD).

TTD has previously commented on how Positive Train Control (PTC) systems provide an additional layer of safety for rail workers and the public.[2] These systems are designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zones, and movements of trains through switches left in the wrong position. The National Safety Transportation Board (NTSB) first recommended that PTC be required in 1969 and Congress subsequently mandated PTC systems in the 2008 Rail Safety Improvement Act (RSIA) to save lives and reduce injuries.

December 1, 2023 The Honorable Mike Johnson Speaker United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Sam Graves Chairman United States House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Washington, D.C. 20510 Speaker Johnson and Chairman Graves: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), representing the totality of U.S. freight rail workers, I […]

December 1, 2023 The Honorable Chuck Schumer Senate Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Senate Minority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), representing the totality of U.S. freight rail workers, I urge […]

November 29, 2023 Honorable Pete Buttigieg Secretary United States Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Secretary Buttigieg: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), and the hundreds thousands of workers we represent in the passenger rail and building trades sectors, I write to express my support for California […]

November 21, 2023 The Honorable Chuck Schumer Senate Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Majority Leader Schumer: On behalf of our affiliated unions representing hundreds of thousands of airline and rail workers, I ask that you expeditiously schedule a Senate Floor vote on the reappointment of National Mediation Board (NMB) Members Linda Puchala […]

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to respond to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) notice regarding the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation’s (PATH) petition to extend its waiver of compliance from certain provisions of the federal railroad safety regulations contained at 49 CFR part 214 (Railroad Workplace Safety). TTD consists of 37 affiliated unions representing the totality of rail labor, including roadway and track employees, and therefore have a vested interest in this proceeding. We strongly endorse the comments of our affiliates, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-Teamster Rail Conference (BMWED), the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). We respectfully request that the FRA hold a public hearing in order to receive testimony from stakeholders and other interested parties.

Specifically, PATH is requesting continued relief from the definition of “fouling a track” as defined in 49 CFR 214.7, at “certain locations within PATH’s tunnel system if certain conditions are met.” In addition, PATH seeks to allow tunnel bench walls to be considered a “place of safety” under § 214.329 (Train Approach Warning) for the safety and efficiency of roadway maintenance procedures at those locations. The rail labor organizations noted above strongly opposed PATH’s initial waiver request due to our significant safety concerns. The partial relief the FRA granted in 2018, which PATH now seeks to extend, does not adequately address these safety issues and falls short of providing sufficient protection for roadway and track workers.

November 13, 2023 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Biden: On behalf of the undersigned national rail labor unions, we write to unanimously recommend and support Johnathan D. Bragg to be re-nominated to serve as the Labor Member on the […]

November 8, 2023 Dear Secretary Buttigieg and Administrator Carlson, We write today to reiterate our grave safety concerns about the expanded testing and operation of automated driving system (ADS)-equipped vehicles. Given the recent surge in both the number of cities operating these vehicles on public streets and the number of crashes and safety incidents involving […]

As Congress continues to review and update relevant laws governing commercial aviation programs for the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), we oppose any effort to increase the pilot retirement age from age 65 to age 67. Under U.S. law, commercial airline pilots employed by airlines[1] are required to retire at age 65.

Despite what special interests claim, raising the retirement age for airline pilots will not increase the supply of pilots. Doing so will put the United States in conflict with the mandates of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), force the reopening of hard-fought collective bargaining agreements, and create training backlogs that would imperil flight schedules and upend the entire U.S. national airspace system. Importantly, such a change has not been validated by the FAA or otherwise been studied in a satisfactory manner.