News and Media

As Reported By Lori Aratani and Michael Laris For the Washington Post
Advocates of federal aid to keep 33,000 airline employees on the job lobbied for months, sending thousands of letters and donning protective masks to walk the halls of Congress. And it appeared to be working, garnering bipartisan backing and support from President Trump, who just last month said: “We’ll be helping the airlines.”

As Reported By Kea Wilson For Streetsblog USA
The Trump administration rejected a plea to require masks on public transit nationwide on Friday — and then immediately kicked the mostly urban-based industry when it was down by halting negotiations on a relief deal that would have provided agencies with the windfall they need to survive.

Reported By Erik Bascome for SiLive.Com
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has rejected pleas from transit workers to require masks on all forms of public transportation.
On Friday, the DOT sent a letter to the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO labor federation rejecting the union’s request from earlier this year to implement a mask mandate on all DOT-approved, commercial public transportation.

Washington, DC — Earlier today, President Trump decided to end COVID-19 relief negotiations until after the election — a move that will harm working people, including those on the frontlines of our transportation system. TTD President Larry Willis issues this statement in response: “By walking away from Congressional COVID-19 relief negotiations, President Trump is abdicating […]

As reported by USA Today

As reported by Andy Kroll for Rolling Stone: WASHINGTON — In a little-noticed ruling on Friday evening, the Trump administration rejected a petition by a coalition of labor unions that had asked the federal government to require passengers to wear masks on airplanes, trains, and other major forms of transportation.

As reported by Michael Laris and Lori Aratani for The Washington Post: The chairman of the Senate committee that oversees airlines and U.S. transportation policy had his mask off for extended periods on a Delta flight to Mississippi on Thursday night, according to another passenger, and the company said he had to be reminded twice by a flight attendant to follow the airline’s mask requirement.

As reported by Alexandra Kelly for The Hill: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rejected a petition from a labor union Friday that would issue a departmentwide mandate requiring all passengers on DOT-approved transportation to wear masks, underscoring the lack of universal health protocols deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic by the federal government.

As Reported by John L. Dorman for Business Insider: The US Department of Transportation on Friday turned down a petition by a group of labor unions who sought a federal mask requirement for passengers riding on major modes of transit, including airplanes, buses, trains.

Washington, DC – On Friday evening — the same day that President Trump, the First Lady, and at least three U.S. Senators all tested positive for the novel Coronavirus — the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rejected a petition by the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and our 33 member unions, for an emergency order […]