MoveAmerica Blog

Today, August 19, is National Aviation Day. For most Americans, this holiday commemorating the birthday of Orville Wright, and celebrating our country’s many advancements in flight, goes by without much mention. But ask the men and women who operate, maintain and build our complex aviation system and they’ll tell you it’s worth noting.

As published by BNSF Conductor and SMART Transportation Division member Mike Rankin in The Hill. On December 23, 2004, near Streator, Illinois, three teenagers ignored flashing lights and drove around the gates at a railway crossing. A train struck their car. Two teenagers lost their lives that night. One survived. I know because I was […]

Common sense tells us that operating a 19,000-ton freight train with a single crewmember – like the railroads want to do – is a dangerous idea. But what do the men and women who actually operate these trains think? Now is your chance to find out! This Thursday, SMART-TD member and BNSF conductor Mike Rankin […]

Note: This is the fourth piece in a series that explores the connection between a robust transportation system and a stronger middle class. The third piece shows the positive impact investments in port infrastructure can have on the economy and working families. Fifty-two years ago this week, Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Urban Mass […]

The 40-hour work week? Check. A federal minimum wage? Yup. Ensuring our kids aren’t slaving away in dangerous factories? That, too. Standards that working Americans have come to expect — and that have given millions a chance at better wages and working conditions — can be traced back to historic legislation enacted 78 years ago […]

Other than the lobby for the behemoth, multi-billion dollar railroad companies, almost no one believes we should permit up to 20,000-ton freight trains, many filled with things that blow up, to travel across America with a single crew member at the controls. The American people hate this idea. Across the country, in small towns and […]

The gender pay gap. Unpredictable, inflexible work schedules. Discrimination on the job. These were just some of the topics addressed today at The United State of Women, a summit hosted by the White House to celebrate the achievements of women and girls and find effective solutions to the most daunting issues still facing working females […]

By Richard Trumka and Edward Wytkind As published in Politico   America’s working people are rightly suspicious of trade policy. For too long our trade strategy has protected corporate interests while fueling a race to the bottom in living standards for working families. That sad legacy is now rearing its head in the aviation sector. […]

TTD President Ed Wytkind joined Heartland Labor Forum radio this week to discuss TTD’s fight for security improvements at foreign aircraft repair stations. In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on transportation security last month, Sen. Claire McCaskill voiced her concerns over “a gaping hole” in our nation’s aviation security—specifically, TSA’s lack of oversight and regulation […]

In 1933, Congress established National Maritime Day to honor and celebrate our nation’s maritime employees and the crucial role they play in keeping our country strong and secure. The maritime and port industries have changed significantly in the 83 years since the holiday was established, but one thing hasn’t changed: the recognition and thanks we […]