Policy

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to respond to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) request for information on its (FY) 2022-2026 Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T) Strategic Plan. TTD consists of 36 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including those directly affected by the DOT’s policies and programs. Specifically, the next wave of research initiatives funded by the agency as a result of the RD&T Strategic Plan will have a profound effect on the future of mobility, work and jobs in this industry. We therefore have a vested interest in the results from this important proceeding.[1] We also want to concur with the separate comments submitted by the Transport Workers Union, a TTD member union.

Dear Administrator Fernandez, On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I urge you to ensure that the transformative investments in Zero-Emission Buses (ZEBs) included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) promote good union jobs among the incumbent and future workforces who will be tasked with maintaining the next generation of transit […]

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to respond to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) request for comment on its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. TTD consists of 33 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including workers directly affected by the DOT’s policies and programs.[1] We must be clear that the goals outlined by the DOT for the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan—creating good jobs, improving equity and environmental outcomes, and making the DOT more effective and accountable to the American people—can, and will, only be successfully achieved when the voice of working people is integral to the formulation and implementation of those policies.

While these comments aim to be comprehensive, we also recognize that they may not be fully inclusive in representing the needs and positions of transportation labor. We therefore strongly urge your full consideration of individual comments filed by our affiliated unions, and encourage further ongoing dialogue with those who represent working people to ensure the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan gives due consideration to the needs of all working people.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF GREG REGAN, PRESIDENT TRANSPORTATION TRADES DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO ________________________________________ BEFORE THE SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SURFACE TRANSPORTATION, MARITIME, FREIGHT, AND PORTS  “Uncharted Waters: Challenges Posed by Ocean Shipping Supply Chains” December 7, 2021 On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and our 33 affiliated unions, I first want to thank […]

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and our 33 affiliated unions, we thank you for taking this important step to begin examining the serious safety issues facing transit workers across this country every single day.

TTD’s affiliated unions collectively represent most transit workers in this country, including rail transit, bus, roadway, construction, and maintenance workers[1]. Most of these workers interface directly with the public, and all are exposed to the risks of assault. We have long-called for both legislative and regulatory solutions to increase worker safety, including putting a stop to the scourge of assaults on transit workers.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and our 33 affiliated unions, I first want to thank Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves for inviting me to testify before the Committee today on the extremely timely issue of supply chain challenges and congestion. The employees represented by TTD-affiliated unions have had a front-row seat to the serious challenges facing America’s supply chain—including the workers directly engaged in freight transportation at railroads and ports, and who work in industries that have been hamstrung by the inability to procure key materials in a timely manner.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am writing to encourage your strong support for H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, when it is brought before the House for a vote.

Dear Representative, On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am writing to encourage your strong support for H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, when it is brought before the House for a vote. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a historic step toward making necessary and long-overdue investments across […]

Prior to his inauguration, President Biden announced the details of his Build Back Better plan, a bold economic platform that prioritizes major investments in our nation’s infrastructure along with some of the strongest labor principles ever put forward by an American president. With the second short-term extension of the FAST Act surface transportation law quickly approaching and an economic recovery that continues to prove sluggish in the wake of COVID-19, the American people simply cannot afford for Congress to wait another day to enact the president’s agenda.

The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and our 33 affiliated unions have long highlighted the need for investments that are squarely in line with the president’s Build Back Better platform. That includes reliable, long-term reauthorizations of our nation’s highway, bridge, public transit, and passenger rail programs along with other large-scale infrastructure investments that would bring all other sectors of our aging transportation and infrastructure not just to a state of good-enough, but instead, solidly into the 21st century.

In response to the decline of U.S. flag vessels available to protect America’s interests at home and around the globe, Congress established the Tanker Security Program (TSP), which would reinforce our current tanker fleet, lower our reliance on foreign flag vessels, and create new, good jobs for American workers. TSP was authorized by Congress in […]