Policy Statements Archives - Page 3 of 22

November 10, 2022

Policy, Policy Statements

FAA MUST REPORT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER STAFFING ACCURATELY IN CONTROLLER WORKFORCE PLAN

Air traffic controllers keep our skies safe as they efficiently move thousands of aircraft every day throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). Their professional standards are rigorous: new hires undergo extensive training for at least 18 to 36 months depending on their facility assignment. Controllers worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and without their ongoing efforts,…
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November 10, 2022

Policy, Policy Statements

PUT AN END TO PILOT VISA MISUSE BY U.S. AIRLINES

U.S. airlines are increasingly misusing visa programs to fill pilot positions by employing foreign nationals, displacing qualified prospective U.S. pilots, and undercutting U.S. pilot pay. Visa abuse began with regional carriers and has now spread to larger airlines, including Breeze, Frontier, and Southwest, among others. This is being done in defiance of the visa programs’…
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November 10, 2022

Policy, Policy Statements

DOT JOINT VENTURE DECISION A PAINFUL STEP BACKWARD. TRANSPORTATION LABOR OFFERS A PATH FORWARD

The Department of Transportation’s (DOT or Department) recent decision to remove a pro-labor clause from a joint venture agreement between Delta Air Lines and LATAM Airlines Group is an unprecedented decision that represents a step backward for U.S. airline employees in antitrust-immunized joint venture (ATI JV) cases. This decision continues decades of elevating consumer benefits…
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November 10, 2022

Policy, Policy Statements

THE PROMISE OF A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY MUST BE BUILT BY AMERICAN WORKERS: MAKING THE RIGHT INVESTMENTS IN OFFSHORE WIND

The emerging offshore wind industry in the United States provides significant opportunities to expand the domestic workforce in the maritime and building trades sectors to create good-paying union jobs while increasing our nation’s clean energy supply chains. During President Biden’s first week in office, his Administration announced an Executive Order of a national goal to…
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November 10, 2022

Policy, Policy Statements

FAA MUST HIRE MORE TECHNICAL OPERATIONS STAFF

Employees in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Organization (ATO) are the backbone of the nation’s air traffic control system. The Technical Operations workforce maintains the critical navigation, communications, and radar equipment that controllers and pilots need. Even as the country went into lockdown in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,…
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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements

Opposing Abusive Railroad Attendance Policies

For years, fatigue has persisted as one of the single greatest threats to railroad safety. An inability to concentrate, decreased situational awareness, and reduced reaction times when tasked with the operation of freight trains — including those carrying explosive, radioactive, and flammable cargoes — can turn deadly with a moment’s notice. Despite this, Class I…
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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements

Strengthening the U.S. Maritime Industry for the Future

Since President Biden assumed office a little more than a year ago, the Biden administration has taken several actions to review and address current U.S. supply chain disruptions caused in large measure by a global pandemic and compounded by years of failure on the part of our government to develop and implement a realistic national…
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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements

The Shortchanging of Labor

Since the start of the pandemic, news reports, lawmakers, and employers have referred to a so-called “labor shortage” as the cause of disruptions to our economy. Such rhetoric predates the pandemic by years and has particularly been used by employers looking to undermine safety or labor standards by claiming a lack of available workers creates…
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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements

Remote Dispatching is Unsafe Dispatching

Aircraft dispatchers play an essential role in the safety of aviation operations. In tandem with pilots and air traffic controllers, dispatchers work to ensure that aircraft take off and land safely, navigating weather, traffic, and other challenges. For this reason, the parameters of their work and working environment are highly regulated, to ensure that a…
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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements

Building a Strong and Equitable Transportation Workforce

Transportation labor unions have fought for decades to ensure that federal investments made in America’s transportation infrastructure are tied to strong policies that support and create good jobs and safe and equitable workplaces for America’s workers. We have also fought year after year to keep policies in place that ensured federal investments would never undermine…
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