Washington, DC – Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement in support of funding critical, left-behind transportation services in next COVID-19 package:
“As lawmakers work towards another COVID-19 relief bill, we strongly encourage them to support vital transportation services that have now gone months without desperately needed federal support. The private U.S. motor coach, school bus, and ferry industries, along with the 400,000 workers they employ, have been particularly hard hit. Ensuring continuity of service and employment – not just for when the U.S. reaches the recovery phase of COVID-19, but for the essential employees and other working people who depend on those services every day – will be crucial for preserving the American economy and helping families to put food on their tables.
“Transportation labor applauds Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for introducing S. 4150, the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act (CERTS Act), in support of those transportation industries. By offering $10 billion in economic relief in the form of grants and other emergency assistance, this legislation would sustain a number of transportation services and their employees.
“We thank the Senate for the support they have shown and will continue to show to certain sectors of the transportation industry and the millions of Americans they employ. We urge you to take the additional steps detailed in the CERTS Act and support those industries and employees who have still gone without any relief.”