Washington, DC – Larry I. Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement opposing the nomination of Diana Furchtgott-Roth to be Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology:
“Frontline transportation workers need leaders in Washington who will pursue policies that promote safety, encourage and empower working people to join together, and ensure our transportation system remains a catalyst for good, middle-class jobs. Diana Furchtgott-Roth does not meet this standard, and we urge the Senate to oppose her nomination.
“We have not opposed previous DOT nominees, and have attempted to work with this Administration in good faith. But we cannot remain silent regarding this individual. Furchtgott-Roth’s long-time hostility towards the very idea of labor unions and track record of opposing issues important to transportation workers is alarming.
“This nominee believes unions prey on vulnerable workers, and has incorrectly claimed that increased unionization ‘discourages U.S. job creation, raises unemployment, and encourages businesses to move offshore.’ She wants to privatize Amtrak, gut high-speed rail, eliminate the Highway Trust Fund, and devolve responsibility for transportation funding to the states. She has called for extinguishing current collective bargaining rules for port workers in order to make it harder for them to secure fair wages and benefits. She has encouraged employees to leave public-sector unions. And she has denigrated the ability of women to work alongside men in physical occupations.
“Someone who has spent a career outlining policies designed to undermine the rights of working people to join together should not be confirmed to this position.”