Policy

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on DOT’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) concerning air travel with service and support animals. TTD consists of 32 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including airport and airline employees who interact with customers who seek to fly with their service and support animals.[1] We therefore have a vested interest in this rulemaking.

DOT has published this ANPRM in response to increasing conflict and confusion as it relates to air travel with service and support animals. Currently, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and its associated regulations define a service animal broadly—any animal that is individually trained or able to provide assistance to a person with a disability; or any animal that assists persons with disabilities by providing emotional support—and provide protections for passengers with such animals.

Dear Representative, On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I ask that you cosponsor H.R. 3148, “The Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act.” This important and overdue legislation would cover railroad Yardmasters under the Hours of Service (HOS) protections that are currently afforded to other safety sensitive rail sector employees. Federal hours of service laws […]

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on OSHA’s notice regarding the administration of whistleblower statutes. TTD consists of 32 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including those who are afforded protections under the statutes discussed in the notice.[1] We therefore have a vested interest in the proceeding.  

Through the request for comments, and its scheduled meeting, OSHA is seeking information on how it can improve customer service in its handling of whistleblower complaints, and how it can better explain the whistleblower laws it enforces. OSHA specifically highlights the Federal Railroad Safety Act, the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, the National Transit Systems Security Act, and Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act as the focus of this proceeding.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s solicitations for information on how its regulations may be affected by autonomous technology. By way of background, TTD consists of 32 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including those who will be impacted by the development and deployment of automated driving systems.[1] We therefore have a vested interest in the notice.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s solicitations for information related to the future of automation in the railroad industry. By way of background, TTD consists of 32 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including workers across all crafts in the railroad industry who will be impacted by automation. We therefore have a vested interested in the notice. [1] TTD also endorses the comments of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, Transportation Division (SMART-TD), a TTD affiliated union.

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I am pleased to provide comments on the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)’s solicitations for information on autonomous surface transportation of hazardous materials. By way of background, TTD consists of 32 affiliate unions representing workers in all modes of transportation, including those who will be impacted by the development and deployment of automated driving systems, workers who transport hazardous materials, and first responders tasked with responding to incidents involving hazmat. We therefore have a vested interest in the notice.

With the Panama Canal expansion project complete, U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports are seeing an increased demand for their services as new, larger ships enter the market for cargo shipping. However, as ports seek to remain competitive in a global marketplace, the design failures of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) continue to hold […]

Frontline workers, the traveling public, and communities across the country depend on a safe and secure transportation network to drive middle-class job growth and sustain our economy. While private sector stakeholders and local and state jurisdictions have an important role to play in this effort, the federal government has the primary responsibility to establish rules […]

In February of 2016, TTD’s Executive Committee adopted a policy statement calling on Congress and the Obama Administration to take immediate steps to fund arguably the most critical infrastructure project in our country: the Gateway Program and Hudson Tunnel Project. More than two years later, bipartisan and state support for the project has strengthened yet […]

On February 21st of this year, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) voted to begin the process of transitioning from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security screening operations at the Orlando International Airport to a private screening contractor. Ultimately, due to the public outcry of passengers, elected officials and union members, GOAA abandoned their efforts to […]