Policy Statements

As states expand commuter rail and prepare for the implementation of high speed rail projects, these initiatives must create and sustain good jobs and comply with federal railroad statutes.  We reject efforts by states and private sector operators to structure their operations with the deliberate goal of evading federal rail laws and the protections they…

Read More

Earlier this year, the U.S. government commenced negotiations over a new air services, or “open skies,” agreement with China which would lead to more liberalized commercial air traffic between the two countries.  These talks come on the heels of a new open skies agreement reached in March with the European Union (EU) that, among other…

Read More

Everyday 26 million students across America take a school bus to and from school and other activities.  The trips they take – 10 billion student trips per year – are an important part of a student’s school day and are too often overlooked among those responsible for delivering a quality education experience to America’s students. …

Read More

As our country faces the worst economic crisis in generations, it is clear that robust transportation investments by the federal government must be a central component of putting people back to work and restoring a badly weakened economy.  The official unemployment rate has struggled to stay below 10 percent with six million Americans out of…

Read More

Recent events point to the need for a strong federal role in ensuring the safe operation of our nation’s transit systems and particularly rail transit operations.  In the past year alone, train-to-train collisions in Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. have taken the lives of employees and passengers and left others critically injured.  Beyond these…

Read More

The increasing threat posed by criminal acts of marine piracy requires an aggressive response from our government to protect the lives of American merchant mariners and maintain the stability and integrity of the U.S. maritime industry.  The United States-flag fleet contributes to the economic, political and military security of our nation, and it is incumbent…

Read More

As the United States seeks to enter into new and expanded international aviation agreements with our trading partners, it must be ensured that these agreements are balanced, legitimately promote U.S. aviation, and protect the interests and jobs of U.S. aviation workers.  While we support efforts to create additional international opportunities for U.S. carriers, these opportunities…

Read More

At 7 a.m. on January 31, 2010, foreign-owned Rio Tinto, the second largest mining company in the world, locked out nearly 600 members of ILWU Local 30 at its borax mine and plant in Boron, California.  This mega-mining conglomerate is trying to force an extremely concessionary contract ultimatum down the throats of Local 30’s members…

Read More

The current surface transportation authorization, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) expired on September 30.  Congress has passed an extension of the bill but it remains unclear whether a final six-year bill will be completed in this session.  Transportation labor believes it is essential that the 111th Congress…

Read More

For over two years, Congress has been unable to complete work on the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  Not only has this forced the FAA to operate under a series of seven short-term and inherently uncertain funding extensions, but these delays have left a number of critical safety, infrastructure and technology investments, and…

Read More