Policy Statements

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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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements, Policy

The Time is Now for Regulatory Action

As we approach the halfway point of President Biden’s first term in office, transportation labor calls on the administration to continue prioritizing an ambitious regulatory agenda that delivers improved safety, creates good union jobs, and drives economic development. This includes promulgating regulations required by unmet mandates that have languished for years without appropriate attention, new…
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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements, Policy

Imposing Meaningful Safety Standards at Foreign Aircraft Maintenance Facilities

In the wake of the Boeing 737 Max accidents, Congress and aviation safety officials rightly recognized that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had ceded far too much of its own regulating authority to private interests. The reforms that are still being implemented by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the FAA should ensure that proper…
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April 4, 2022

Policy Statements, Policy

Self Defense and Security Training for Flight and Cabin Crew

In an era of unprecedented instances of violent and unruly passengers, alongside the evergreen threat of terrorism and other dangers in the skies, it is clearer than ever that flight attendants and pilots must be given the necessary tools to best protect both themselves and the traveling public. In order to address both the current…
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October 21, 2021

Policy, Policy Statements

Congress Must Pass President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda

Prior to his inauguration, President Biden announced the details of his Build Back Better plan, a bold economic platform that prioritizes major investments in our nation’s infrastructure along with some of the strongest labor principles ever put forward by an American president. With the second short-term extension of the FAST Act surface transportation law quickly…
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