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Letters to the Administration

Rail Labor Urges FRA to Conduct Inspections & Repairs After BNSF Mechanical Furloughs

By Admin

February 29, 2024 The Honorable Amitabha Bose Administrator Federal Railroad Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 Re:       FRA Safety Actions in Response BNSF Mechanical Furloughs Administrator Bose: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO and the totality of rail labor as represented by our affiliated unions, we are writing to urge […]

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Rail Labor Supports CA High-Speed Rail’s Request for RAISE Grant Program Funding

By Admin

February 26, 2024 Honorable Pete Buttigieg Secretary United States Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Secretary Buttigieg: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), and the hundreds of thousands of workers we represent in the passenger rail and building trades sectors, I write to express my support for […]

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Amid Red Sea Shipping Attacks, Maritime Labor Requests Critical Communication Support

By Admin

January 19, 2024 General Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, USAF United States Transportation Command Dear General Van Ovost: On behalf of the undersigned American maritime labor unions who serve aboard MSP vessels, we are writing in regard to the ongoing attacks from the Houthi rebels of Yemen on international and U.S.-flag shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb […]

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Unions Urge Federal Grants for High-Speed Rail Projects

By Admin

November 29, 2023 Honorable Pete Buttigieg Secretary United States Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Secretary Buttigieg: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), and the hundreds thousands of workers we represent in the passenger rail and building trades sectors, I write to express my support for California […]

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Rail Labor Pushes for Renomination of Railroad Retirement Board Member

By Admin

November 13, 2023 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Biden: On behalf of the undersigned national rail labor unions, we write to unanimously recommend and support Johnathan D. Bragg to be re-nominated to serve as the Labor Member on the […]

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27 Transportation Labor Groups Urge DOT & NHTSA to Launch Industry-Wide Investigation of Driverless Vehicles

By Admin

November 8, 2023 Dear Secretary Buttigieg and Administrator Carlson, We write today to reiterate our grave safety concerns about the expanded testing and operation of automated driving system (ADS)-equipped vehicles. Given the recent surge in both the number of cities operating these vehicles on public streets and the number of crashes and safety incidents involving […]

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Maritime Labor Urges Clarity on CBP’s Latest Coastal Ruling

By Admin

September 11, 2023  To Whom It May Concern:  We write regarding U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) recent decision, HQ  H328718 (July 17, 2023), to request that this ruling be withdrawn and reconsidered. On behalf  of America’s seagoing unions, we believe it is important to have more clarity in the applicability  of the coastwise laws […]

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26 Organizations Call for EPA-DOL Partnership to Create Green Union Jobs

By Admin

June 22, 2023 Administrator Michael S. Regan Environmental Protection Agency Office of the Administrator, 1101A 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460 Dear Administrator Regan, Thanks to unprecedented investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act in clean energy and mobility, the Environmental Protection Agency is now responsible for managing billions […]

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Rail Labor Reaffirms Support for STB Chair Oberman

By Admin

June 13, 2023 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Biden: On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and the totality of rail labor as represented by our affiliated unions, I write to reaffirm our strong support for […]

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DOT Must Reject SkyWest’s Request to Skirt Safety, Security Rules

By Admin

We write to express concern that a previously rare and limited business model for air service, once confined to private jet charters, is expanding so rapidly that it threatens to take over a large part of the air services in the United States.  Airlines selling passenger tickets on flights that are scheduled in all but name are operating under a combination of rules: the safety rules of 14 CFR Part 135, the economic rules of 14 CFR Part 298 for commuter air carriers, and 14 CFR Part 380 for public charters.  Because of a loophole created by that combination of rules, these airlines are able to skirt safety and security regulations that your departments and agencies enforce.  A pending application before DOT by a unit of SkyWest Airlines implicates this business model, as we will describe.

One such air carrier is branded as “JSX.”  The operator is Delux Public Charter, LLC, d/b/a JSX Air, and the charterer and re-seller of seats is JetSuiteX, Inc. (collectively, JSX).  Through this complex structure, JSX is providing scheduled passenger service between major airports available for purchase in a manner that — to the ordinary consumer — looks identical to buying a seat on a regular scheduled airline.  This arrangement enables JSX to fly a self-described “hop-on jet service” with scheduled operations on aircraft limited to 30 passengers under Part 135, asserting a speedy path to the plane using “private terminals,” and “non-invasive security procedures.”

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