Washington DC – The following statement was issued today by Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), in observance of Workers Memorial Day:
“On this Workers Memorial Day, we remember the workers who lost their lives on the job this year and in years past, and renew our commitment to fight for safe workplaces and transportation systems and good jobs.
“In our current economy, a race-to-the-bottom mentality rules. In no industry is that more dangerous than transportation, where chronic fatigue, under-staffing, under-investment and an obsession with outsourcing continues to plague workers in the transportation sector while undermining safety.
“In fact, as lawmakers debate the state of our deteriorating transportation infrastructure and various investment policy proposals, we’re reminded that the outcome of those debates will impact transportation safety, both for workers and the public. And as extremists and the anti-union corporate lobby make it more difficult for working people to form and join unions, workplace safety suffers as well.
“The fact is that one of the best ways to make America’s workplaces safer is to give more working people a union voice on the job.
“On Workers Memorial Day, we pledge to do even more to make our transportation system and our workplaces safer, and implore lawmakers, businesses, and communities to join us.”
CONTACT: Alison Omens, aomens@outreachstrategies.com, 202-507-4843