By Larry I. Willis
In our highly politicized world, it has become a rarity for Members of Congress to agree on anything. So when a large group of bipartisan lawmakers comes together to take a stand on a single issue, it’s probably a good idea to listen. One of these rare moments happened earlier this week when 66 lawmakers, led […]
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By Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
No one who works for a living should have to put themselves in a compromising situation just to put food on the table. Yet, every year, thousands of working people, including frontline transportation workers, are hurt or killed on the job. It’s true that decades of struggle by working people and their unions have improved […]
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By Larry I. Willis
Here in America, there’s this idea that if you are dedicated and work hard, you can make a good life for yourself and your family. It’s called the American Dream, and it is a promise our country was founded on. But for too many who work behind the scenes making the aviation industry profitable, the […]
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By Larry I. Willis
By recognizing social and economic justice as one and the same, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood the immense power working people have when they come together. He saw union representation as the clearest path out of poverty and into the middle class, and fought for the rights of all people to have good […]
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By Larry I. Willis
I was proud to join labor leaders earlier this week at the AFL-CIO’s leadership summit Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: There is Power in my Union. Survivors of workplace sexual harassment are taking back power by sharing their stories. The movement they have started is shaping national conversation and forcing Americans to confront and […]
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In transportation, almost everyone talks about the need to put safety first, but when given the choice between cutting costs and lowering standards, some companies choose wrong. That is what we are seeing in the freight rail industry’s efforts to reduce crew size. Today, nearly every freight train in America is operated by two […]
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By Larry I. Willis
On the campaign trail and as president, Donald Trump has continually shined a spotlight on America’s growing transportation and broader infrastructure crisis — and promised to do something about it. Now, as he prepares for his first State of the Union address, the president is expected to once again push his vision for rebuilding America. […]
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In an ideal world, Congress would be working to come up with budget solutions for FY 19, rather than scrambling to find stopgap measures to keep the government open a few weeks at a time. In an ideal world, stable, robust federal funding for our nation’s transportation system wouldn’t be a nonstarter. And in an […]
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By Larry I. Willis
President Trump turned some heads last week when he claimed credit for zero commercial aviation fatalities in 2017, calling it a record safety year. Putting aside the fact that this safety record was based on global statistics – there hasn’t been a U.S. commercial aviation fatality in the last eight years – we hope the Administration will […]
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By Larry I. Willis
Think about the last time you or a family member flew on a commercial airplane. It may surprise you to learn there is a pretty good chance that the aircraft had maintenance work performed at a repair station located in a foreign country. Why does this matter? Even though foreign-based repair stations are certified by […]
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