Press Releases and Statements

WASHINGTON — Today, transportation labor and industry groups urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to adopt a federal framework to manage the broad impacts of new technologies on the transportation workforce. The letter from the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO and ITS America states: “With such rapid technological change […]

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 related to the maintenance and use of hot bearing wayside detectors: “We welcome recent rail safety actions from the Federal Railroad Administration, including the safety […]

WASHINGTON  — Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), issued this statement after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on the East Palestine derailment: “Rail unions and their workers are dedicated to ensuring that when railroads adopt technologies, such as wayside defect detectors, […]

LAS VEGAS  — Brightline West, America’s first true high-speed rail system connecting Las Vegas and Southern California, today,  announced a landmark agreement, establishing a commitment with several craft rail unions for the use of highly skilled union labor in critical jobs required to operate and maintain this historic project. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) with […]

WASHINGTON – As the nation commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), all U.S. rail labor unions unanimously adopted a Resolution calling for paid sick leave.  “The lack of paid sick leave for rail workers came into the national spotlight during this last round of national contract bargaining that concluded in December,” said […]

WASHINGTON – Rail workers, union leaders, and Members of Congress rallied in front of the U.S. Capitol yesterday in support of freight rail industry reforms, including paid sick leave for workers, a two-person crew staffing minimum on trains, and an end to the Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) business model, which has pushed the supply chain […]

WASHINGTON — Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, issued this statement after the Senate confirmation of Shailen Bhatt as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration: “We congratulate Mr. Bhatt on his return to the Department of Transportation and welcome his expertise as the former […]

Washington, D.C. – The Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO today released the following statement on behalf of rail unions regarding next steps in our push forward on reforms to a freight rail industry that is failing its workers and the American people: “Across this nation, the American people have been awakened to the importance […]

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, president and secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, today issued this statement as President Biden signs H.J.Res.100 to prevent a national disruption to freight rail service and end the years-long dispute between rail corporations and workers: “We are disappointed anytime the vote to approve […]

WASHINGTON – Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, president and secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, today issued this statement regarding a potential extension of the cooling off period for rail negotiations: “As the nation’s largest transportation labor federation, we proudly represent the dozen rail unions involved in the ongoing national contract […]