Press Releases and Statements

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), issued this statement after the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published its 60-Day Supplemental Safety Assessment of Norfolk Southern Railway (NS): “We welcome today’s report from the FRA that examines the root causes of safety culture failures at Norfolk […]

WASHINGTON – On behalf of all U.S. rail unions and workers, the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO today released the following statement commemorating six months since Norfolk Southern’s toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on the evening of February 3rd: “On this somber occasion, rail labor unions once again renew our calls […]

WASHINGTON—Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued this statement after the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Subcommittee approved its fiscal year 2024 THUD spending bill:  “The proposed fiscal year 2024 THUD spending bill would be disastrous for America’s transportation systems, […]

WASHINGTON – Today, aviation leaders warned how the nation’s largest regional air carrier, SkyWest Airlines, is attempting to undermine aviation safety with its petition to the Department of Transportation (DOT) to operate under public charter rules. Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) President Captain Jason Ambrosi and Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) President Sara Nelson […]

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued this statement in support of the negotiated deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to raise the debt ceiling, approve a budget, and avoid an economic crisis: “We urge Congress to pass the Fiscal […]

WASHINGTON — More than 30 U.S. transportation labor union leaders gathered at a legislative summit to set key policy goals that will improve the safety and well-being of the nation’s transportation systems and the workers who build, operate, and maintain them. Attendees welcomed keynote remarks from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and National Transportation Safety Board […]

WASHINGTON—During the pandemic, Congress temporarily paused arbitrary federal reductions to rail worker unemployment and sickness insurance program benefits, until 30 days after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. When Congress passed legislation declaring an end to the Covid-19 national emergency, which President Biden signed on April 10, it set in motion the 30-day countdown to […]

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), issued this statement after the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a safety advisory regarding  accident mitigation and train length: “We welcome recent rail safety actions from the Federal Railroad Administration, including the safety advisory drawing attention to the complexities of […]

WASHINGTON — Today, 14 U.S. rail labor organizations, representing more than 100,000 freight rail workers, launched a public safety campaign demanding that U.S. freight rail corporations halt all stock buybacks until safety improves across the industry. The No Stock Buybacks campaign, and the accompanying petition, is available at NoStockBuybacks.org. Since 2015, the six publicly-traded U.S. […]

WASHINGTON —  Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), a Chief Deputy Whip and a senior member of the House Budget Committee, alongside Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Deb Fischer (R-NE), introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act, which would remove sequestration constraints on […]