News and Media

[As published By Kristina Peterson in The Wall Street Journal] WASHINGTON—A little-noticed provision in a bill passed by the House this month calls for relying more on U.S.-flagged ships to deliver food aid to foreign countries—a change backed by labor groups and criticized by the White House. The measure, tucked into a Coast Guard and maritime […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued this statement in support of U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s effort to highlight the importance of investing in America’s surface transportation needs, and applauded the Secretary’s effort to engage transportation labor: “In today’s economy, where there are too few jobs and […]

[As published By John Previsich and Edward Wytkind in St. Louis Post-Dispatch] Stark divisions have defined our national politics for some time. But there are many transportation issues that unite Americans across political lines, and one of those is overwhelming support for passenger rail in this country, and in particular, for Amtrak. Recent polls in America’s […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), today commends the Federal Railroad Administration on its intention to issue a new rule on two-person train crew requirements. “We know, through years of experience and too many tragic accidents that it takes two qualified crew members to safely operate trains – […]

Washington DC – Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), responded to the long overdue extension of the transit tax benefit included in today’s Senate mark-up of a tax package: “Congress effectively implemented a tax increase on working people on January 1 when it failed to avert the roll-back of transit tax […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) President Edward Wytkind issues this statement on the European Union (EU) Parliament’s decision against proceeding, at least until 2016, with its plan to charge a climate tax on non-EU airlines flying in and out of Europe: “We’re pleased that the EU Parliament will not implement a heavy-handed, […]

Washington, DC –  TTD President Edward Wytkind hailed the passage of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 today, calling it a victory for the U.S. Merchant Marine, middle class jobs and the broader economy. “The passage of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 is good news for workers, the […]

Washington, DC – Twenty-two unions with the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO weighed in on an ongoing and escalating debate about the future of international air travel today. The unions called on U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to reject Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) application for a foreign air carrier permit now pending before the U.S. […]

[As published By Kevin Bogardus in The Hill] Labor unions are calling on the Obama administration to reject a Norwegian airline’s request for access to U.S. airports. In a letter obtained by The Hill and sent Tuesday to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, more than 20 unions urged the administration to reject Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued the following statement in support of the aviation safety and security reforms advanced today by J. David Cox, President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), at a field hearing held by the House Homeland Security Committee in Los Angeles, […]