The labor movement has a long and committed record of advocating for strong labor provisions in U.S. trade agreements. In 2011 the U.S.-EU-Norway-Iceland air transport agreement included a landmark labor clause designed to protect labor standards as air services are liberalized under the agreement (Article 17 bis). Now, as the U.S. and U.K. negotiate a […]
Fatigue is a systemic problem in the rail, bus and truck industries with many contributing causes including long work shifts, unpredictable schedules and company practices that too often create a tired workforce. Undiagnosed sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), can contribute to fatigue and this issue has received significant attention in recent years. However, […]
U.S. maritime cabotage laws – collectively known as the Jones Act – have served an essential role promoting our nation’s economic and national security since 1920. The Act serves not only to create domestic maritime employment opportunities but also acts as a bulwark against an exploitative international shipping market that seeks to undermine labor rights […]
In March 2017, the TTD Executive Committee adopted a statement that set forth principles for tackling the challenges facing transportation workers due to the rapid advancement of autonomous technologies in the transportation industry. We know that these new technologies and related public policy debates will continue to evolve and we stand ready to protect the […]
Transportation labor has sadly had to increasingly fight for policies that protect front line transportation workers from violent assaults from passengers. The TTD Executive Committee has previously called for comprehensive policy solutions to combat the troubling rise in assaults on airline customer service agents and transit operators. Earlier in our history, TTD and its member […]
The domestic aircraft maintenance industry has seen a scourge of outsourcing in recent decades, with work consistently being moved from in-house maintenance operations to contract repair stations both in the U.S. and overseas. This has presented a number of challenges from a job creation, safety, and security standpoint. In response, TTD and its affiliates have […]
The years leading up to 2010 were a challenging time for commercial aviation. The industry had suffered from four high profile fatal airline crashes in six years, the most recent on February 12, 2009, when a Colgan Air regional flight crashed in Clarence, NY, killing all of the passengers and crew on board plus one […]
The Executive Committee of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), salutes and honors Edward Wytkind for his visionary leadership, dedication to the labor movement, and more than 20 years of service to the millions of men and women who work on the frontlines of our nation’s transportation system. Today, TTD is a leader in the […]
Working people are living in a time when it is more and more difficult to make ends meet. Wages are stagnant, and the jobs created during the slow economic recovery are doing little to reduce inequality in the workplace. Meanwhile, attacks on unionization, offshoring, employee misclassification, convoluted corporate structures and technological change are threatening the […]
Transportation unions have long believed that our federal policies should incentivize the use of public transportation funds to maximize U.S. job creation and revive what became a moribund transportation manufacturing sector. It is why we have pushed successfully for stronger domestic content, or Buy America, rules. It is also why we have waged an aggressive […]