Safety

Earlier today, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President J. David Cox, Sr. reminded a House Security committee of a simple fact: while Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) are too often blamed for screening procedures set by TSA management, these federal workers play a crucial role in ensuring that U.S. skies are as secure as possible. […]

Late into the evening on Feb. 12, 2009, news reports began flooding the airwaves about a plane crash in a small town in New York that killed all 49 on board.  An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into the Colgan Air Flight 3407 disaster later revealed that pilot fatigue likely played an […]

“Too many in Washington are fixated on cutting public spending to balance the budget, not on how to put people back to work and get our economy moving.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself.  These are the words of 350 leading economists who offer our political leaders a solution to our anemic economy at […]

Airline employees, remember this close call just six years ago? The date was May 18, 2006.  The House of Representatives was having a debate about a bizarre Bush Administration proposal to let U.S. airlines be controlled by China and other foreign interests. The Department of Transportation under Bush proposed a change in federal aviation policy […]

Things happen on Amtrak trains.  And when they do, no one wants unqualified front-line workers to be first-responders. Unfortunately, if Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) and some of her allies in the House have their way, fly-by-night contractors could replace Amtrak food and beverage service employees who are trained for all emergencies.  Yes these House members […]

I’ve been listening to some absurd attacks this week by Mitt Romney and his surrogates against President Obama – the latest a claim that Obama is saying Henry Ford didn’t build Ford Motors or Papa John didn’t build Papa John’s, the government did. Here is what the President actually said:  “If you were successful, somebody […]

Since the Wright brothers completed their first powered flight in 1903, aviation has captured the public’s imagination. While the entire public and private sector aviation workforce works in unison to operate and maintain the world’s safest air transportation system, the unsung heroes of the sky are often the air traffic controllers who safely guide millions […]

Being a bus driver or pilot or machinist might not sound like a dangerous profession to some, but at TTD, we know that for the vast majority of transportation workers hazardous working conditions are a way of life. Maritime and port workers certainly understand this.  They not only battle the elements and the daily rigors […]

When we think of countries with the most hazardous working conditions, grueling 14-hour work days that put a worker’s own safety—as well as the public’s—at risk, we usually envision some sweatshop on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, when it comes to unsafe job sites, the United States of America has plenty to fix. […]

In honor of Workers Memorial Day Saturday April 28, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO wants to take a moment to remember not just transportation employees but all employees who have been killed or injured on the job. This is not just a day of remembrance, it is also a day of action. To see where […]