Chairman John Thune (R-ND) announced the Senate will take-up FAA Reauthorization over the next few weeks – potentially good news for aviation workers. But the details of this bill matter and are still being worked out by Senate leaders. If done right, FAA Reauthorization can and should advance important safety priorities, protect U.S. jobs from […]
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By Larry I. Willis
While right-wing think tanks and anti-government ideologues have always criticized Amtrak’s long-distance routes, questions are now being raised about whether or not Amtrak itself supports a national system.
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As part of the Congressional response to our nation’s opioid crisis, the Senate Commerce Committee passed the Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act last week. There is no question that drug and alcohol abuse has no place on our roads, rail networks, aviation system, or in maritime commerce, and transportation labor is committed to that […]
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By Larry I. Willis
In 1897, when public transit was practically unheard of, America’s first subway system opened, setting the stage for public transportation throughout the country and across the world. At the time of its construction in 1913, Grand Central Terminal was the largest construction project in New York City’s history, and one of the first all-electric buildings […]
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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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