Dear Senator:
On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), and the millions of frontline transportation workers represented by our 33 affiliated unions, we urge the Senate to move swiftly to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and send it to the President’s desk. We also urge every Senator to reject proposals that would cut critical provisions from this package and undermine the relief so many working families desperately need.
By extending the airline worker Payroll Support Program, providing additional funding for public transportation systems, protecting the Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act-covered employees diagnosed with COVID-19, and extending unemployment benefits for rail workers, the American Rescue Plan provides immediate relief to the workers who keep America moving, their families, communities, and the systems they operate and maintain.
Throughout this global pandemic, frontline transportation workers have done the essential work needed to keep our nation running, risking their health and lives. The critically important role of these unsung heroes has been evident throughout the pandemic: they connect essential workers to and from their jobs on the front lines of the pandemic; deliver food, supplies, and medicine; and even support transit facilities that are now being utilized as vaccination sites. The American Rescue Plan contains over $49 billion to support transportation networks and ensure that they have the workforce necessary to provide the services our nation relies on. Without this relief legislation, every mode of transportation in America faces severe financial difficulty, and the threat of massive layoffs and dangerous service cuts.
We commend the House for passing the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and we look forward to its swift passage in the Senate. Frontline workers and our nation are depending on this legislation to make sure that we emerge from this economic and public health crisis ready to grow and succeed.
Sincerely,
Greg Regan
President