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House Highway-Transit Bill Outline Must Be Rejected

WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), offered the following statement regarding the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee leadership-proposed outline of a 6-year surface transportation bill:

“The outline proposed today describes the worst highway and transit funding bill in modern history. Historically, committee leaders from both sides of the aisle have recognized the importance of transportation investments to our economy, and their proven ability to create jobs. Clearly this proposal radically breaks with that tradition.

“At a time when our transportation system is crumbling, and unemployment continues to hover around 9 percent nationally, we need to be doing more – not less – to address today’s and tomorrow’s transportation needs. Yet the bill described today doesn’t even keep investment levels stagnant – it cuts them by 35 percent. According to Congressional estimates, 500,000 jobs will be lost in the first year alone compared with today’s funding levels.

“Nothing in this outline would address the job cuts, service disruptions and fare increases plaguing transit systems across the country. And with a push to privatize transit services, more jobs will be lost and service will be undermined in a race to the bottom.

“The bill described today is a loser for the American economy and a loser for American workers. We will work against any bill that moves us backward by cutting funding and hurting workers’ rights. Instead, transportation labor will support legislation that recognizes the strategic importance of a safe and efficient transportation system to its users, workers, and to our nation’s economy.”

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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit ttd.org.

Attached Document or File This press release on TTD letterhead