News and Media

[As posted by Ed Wytkind in The Huffington Post] Lawbreaker. That is exactly what we need to start calling American Airlines for its blatant refusal to proceed with a union election among its 9,600 passenger service agents that was legally and properly ordered by the National Mediation Board. The NMB needs to aggressively step in and […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) President Edward Wytkind issued this statement following TTD’s submission of comments to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration pertaining to the in-flight transport of lithium cells and batteries (Docket No. PHMSA-2009-0095 (HM-224F)): “Fire is the most serious threat to an aircraft in flight, especially when it is due […]

WASHINGTON, DC— Edward Wytkind (@EdWytkind), president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued this statement following the decision by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to squander a chance to boost domestic manufacturing in the selection of a rail car supplier: “Today the BART Board gave its stamp of approval to a rail car manufacturing […]

The committee of lawmakers appointed to negotiate a new federal highway bill will meet for the first time Tuesday, beginning their talks amid low expectations for a deal in a charged election-year environment. Many observers, including Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, have expressed doubt that Congress will pass a multiyear bill before the November election. But […]

WASHINGTON, DC— Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued the following statement ahead of this week’s House-Senate conference on surface transportation reauthorization legislation: “As House and Senate conferees begin negotiations on surface transportation legislation tomorrow, nearly 2 million current jobs, and up to 1 million new jobs, are at stake in […]

[By Joan Lowy of the Associated Press] WASHINGTON (AP)—Defying expectations, Congress has reached the homestretch on a major overhaul of federal transportation programs that is critical if the nation is to avoid steep cutbacks in highway and transit aid. The bill is driven partly by election-year politics. Both Congress and President Barack Obama have made […]

WASHINGTON, DC— Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued the following statement in response to passage of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012 (H.R.4348): “The House of Representatives made the right decision today when it put a myriad of ideological interests aside in favor of moving toward negotiating a jobs-creating, […]

[As posted by Ed Wytkind in The Huffington Post] In 2005, British billionaire Richard Branson came to America to launch a new airline for Americans, owned by Americans and controlled by Americans. At least that was the story he was selling. First, you have to understand that under current U.S. law, foreign interests cannot own […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, issued this statement following the passing of Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO President Mark H. Ayers on April 8: “The labor movement has lost a fighter and a friend. “We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mark Ayers, and to […]

[As posted by Kathryn A. Wolfe in Politico] As Congress starts back down the road on hammering out a transportation bill, expect more nail-biting extension deadlines, delayed projects for states and partisan spats. The reason is simple: money. With gas tax revenues falling, there just isn’t enough money to go around for federal transportation programs. […]