Policy

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to respond to FRA’s request for comment on its revisions to information collection request entitled “Federal Railroad Administration Alleged Violation and Inquiry Form.” TTD consists of 33 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation including rail workers. We therefore have a vested interest in this policy.

On behalf of the millions of Americans who rely on public transportation every day, the 435,000 frontline workers who operate and maintain public transit and commuter rail systems in communities of all size across our country, and passenger advocates, we urge you to provide an additional $39.3 billion in emergency funding to help public transit agencies provide safe, reliable service as they continue to grapple with the financial burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On behalf of labor unions representing hundreds of thousands of aviation workers, we request that Congress provide continued relief through the Payroll Support Program (PSP), which has been a successful, transparent, cost effective, job-saving program and a key lifeline for workers over the course of the pandemic.

We, the undersigned unions representing hundreds of thousands of Americans working in the airline and rail industries, take pleasure in expressing our strong support of Deirdre Hamilton to serve as a Member on the National Mediation Board (NMB), and for sitting NMB member Linda Puchala’s reappointment to the board. We also urge you to make these appointments immediately. Unlike other federal agencies, the Trump-appointed NMB will remain in control until new board members are nominated and confirmed by the Senate. With each passing day, the Trump NMB is allowed more opportunity to suppress the voices of aviation and rail workers, stifle collective bargaining rights, and undermine the Biden-Harris pro-worker agenda.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), our 33 unions, and millions of frontline transportation workers, I urge you to support the confirmation of Pete Buttigieg to Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to respond to the Federal Railroad Administration’s request for comment on a petition for a waiver of compliance filed by Illinois Central Railroad Company on behalf of Canadian National Railway Company. TTD consists of 33 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including employees of Illinois Central/Canadian National railroads. We therefore have a vested interest in this petition

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), and the millions of workers we represent in all sectors of transportation, including the aviation, rail, transit, construction, school and over the road bus, maritime, and longshore industries, we strongly urge you to prioritize these frontline workers in the next phase (Phase 1b) of your COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Transportation workers have continued to provide essential services as COVID-19 has ravaged communities and taken nearly 300,000 American lives.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I urge you to act to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 during the remaining days of the 116th Congress. This legislation provides funding for critical water infrastructure projects, invests in our ports and harbors, and supports thousands of middle class jobs.

The Executive Committee of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, condemns the efforts by a predatory organization, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AFMA) to raid the American Airlines mechanics the are jointly represented by two TTD affiliates, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU).

Over the past three weeks, while the country has been engrossed in a national election, the COVID-19 pandemic has been worsening. Just last week the U.S. crested 180,000 daily new infections for the first time, after surpassing 100,000 barely a week prior. Hospitalization rates are spiking as well, rising to over 67,000 in the past few days. These numbers dwarf those from March and April of this year, when the first COVID-19 spike reached its peak. On March 27th, for instance, there were 17,330 new cases reported.