News and Media

[As publishedBy Keith Laing in The Hill] If not the gas tax, then what? That’s the dilemma facing Congress as it seeks to plug a growing hole in transportation funding that state and local governments say is reaching crisis proportions. While the gas tax has long been the bedrock of the transportation trust fund, the […]

WASHINGTON, DC—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) today responded to a request for comments from the Department of Transportation (DOT), and urged DOT to ban voice calls on all flights within, to or from the U.S. TTD argued that allowing passengers to make in-flight phone calls would be inherently disruptive to the cabin environment and […]

[As published by David A. Lombardo in Aviation International News] The FAA is accepting comments on an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that would require employees of FAA-certified foreign repair stations and certain other maintenance providers who perform safety-sensitive work on U.S. airliners to be subject to a drug-and-alcohol-testing program. Consistent with the Congressional […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) President Edward Wytkind issues this statement regarding the FAA’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on drug and alcohol testing at aircraft maintenance facilities outside the U.S.: “Federal aviation regulators took an important step yesterday in an effort to ensure that foreign aircraft repair stations that work on U.S. […]

[As published by Associated Press in The Washington Post] Aviation regulators say they’re considering rules that would require alcohol and drug testing for people who work on U.S. airline planes in foreign maintenance and repair shops. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that it is seeking public comments. The agency wants to know which countries allow random […]

[As published by Elvina Nawaguna in Reuters] U.S. aerospace and aviation industry leaders warned lawmakers on Thursday that a coming wave of retirements in an aging workforce could hurt both sectors and create safety issues unless the government helps more young people qualify for those jobs. Boeing Co, for instance, expects a large percentage of its […]

WASHINGTON, DC—A bipartisan group of 38 Senators today urged the Department of Transportation to ensure U.S. airline jobs are protected, and U.S. law and aviation trade agreements are not violated, when considering Norwegian Air International’s application for a foreign air carrier permit. Led by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), […]

[As published by David Groves in The Stand] Multinational corporations are increasingly contracting out what used to be family-wage company jobs to staffing companies to avoid unionization and gain a competitive advantage by paying substandard wages and benefits. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the Air Line Pilots Association and other aviation unions are calling attention to […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues the following statement in response to news accounts of leaked European Commission (EC) proposals to include aviation and maritime services in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade deal currently under negotiation: “Recent press reports of ‘leaked’ documents confirm what we’ve known […]

[As published by PAI in People’s World] WASHINGTON (PAI) – Laborers Union President Terry O’Sullivan and AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Ed Wytkind hailed President Obama’s push to get Congress to enact a $302 billion four-year mass-transit-highway construction bill. And AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka? “Bring it on!” Obama launched his latest push for the legislation […]