News and Media

Calls for Global Airline Emissions Policy, Rigorous Oversight of Contracted Out Airline Security Operations WASHINGTON, DC—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, (TTD) vows to combat airlines that ‘forum shop’ for cheap labor and evade collective bargaining obligations, and to oppose European Union proposals on aviation climate change in favor of a ‘balanced’ global solution. Transportation union […]

WASHINGTON, DC—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and its 32 affiliated unions today urged Congress to invest in our nation’s military and economic security, and separately in our harbors and waterways, through the Maritime Security Program (MSP) and the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). “Transportation unions today put their support behind efforts to boost languishing […]

WASHINGTON, DC—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) today endorsed a federal mandate that requires at least a two-person crew on U.S. freight trains. “Just four months ago in Quebec Canada we saw firsthand why the federal government must act now to mandate two-person crews on freight trains as a safety precaution,” said TTD President Edward […]

[As published by TTD President Edward Wytkind and SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich in the Des Moines Register] While politicians can’t agree on much, Iowans and the majority of Americans surely agree on one thing: They want more Amtrak service, not less. On the heaviest traveled passenger rail corridor in the nation, the Northeast […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) President Edward Wytkind issues this statement on passage of H.R.3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA,) by a vote of 417-3: “The House of Representatives took a big step forward last night when it passed WRRDA by more than 400 votes, bringing us closer to enacting the […]

WASHINGTON, DC—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) joins the rest of the nation this week in thanking the men and women dedicated to transporting children to and from school during National School Bus Safety Week. In recognition of the challenges faced by school bus drivers, today TTD is announcing it will host a School Bus […]

[As published by Keith Laing in The Hill] A poll conducted by a transportation union found that 70 percent of voters in a group of eight moderate congressional districts backed federal funding for Amtrak. The poll, which conducted by the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) union, surveyed voters in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, […]

[As issued by SMART-TD Oct. 10] Political Party Labels Aside, Americans Want to Ride Amtrak Research Shows Strong Majority Favor Federal Funding of Amtrak   WASHINGTON — New polling shows that Americans across the ideological spectrum support more public funding of Amtrak passenger rail service. “We polled people who mostly do not live in large […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) President Edward Wytkind issues this statement on the impact of a government shutdown on transportation: “This is a dark day for our nation as extremists in Congress have managed to lock out 800,000 federal workers who have done nothing wrong, and have decided to hold Americans hostage to their […]

[As published by Keith Laing in The Hill]  Transportation advocates are encouraged by a proposal this week from Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) to increase funding for road and infrastructure projects.Boxer, chairwoman of the Senate committee that oversees transportation policy, said this week she is considering eliminating the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax in the next […]