WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following statement was offered by Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, in anticipation of Congressional action on the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008:
“We are pleased the House is poised to pass critically important legislation that provides long-term, record financing for Amtrak, improves safety on the nation’s railroads, and invests in the needs of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
“For eight years, the Bush Administration sought to bankrupt Amtrak, stonewall rail safety legislation, and under-fund transit systems such as WMATA. This legislation is a rejection of those misguided policies.
“While we remain opposed to the Northeast Corridor privatization measures in the Amtrak bill and believe even more should be done to address rail safety, this legislation represents an important step and should be sent to the President’s desk.”
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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 www.ttd.org.
