WASHINGTON, DC—Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) issues this statement in response to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) creation of a labor-management safety alliance comprised of TTD, the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and 11 airlines:
“We are pleased that the Administration is focusing on the safety of aviation ground support employees through today’s renewal of an alliance between OSHA and a voluntary industry/labor partnership — the Airline Ground Safety Panel.
“TTD has a long history of pushing our government and Congress to advance reforms that will eradicate senseless injuries in the transportation workplace. This Alliance gives us a chance to work cooperatively in favor of reforms that will minimize or eliminate instances in which workers incur injuries while loading and unloading aircraft or baggage handling systems, are in active ramp areas near moving vehicles, or are operating other equipment.
“The IAM and TWU – both members of TTD – bring to this panel many decades of experience fighting for safer job sites for their members, demanding that employers and our government do everything possible to minimize injuries. We look forward to working with them and the airlines that have joined this panel to improve the safety conditions faced by 350,000 frontline aviation ground employees.
“We applaud OSHA’s efforts to keep this important initiative moving forward.”
CONTACT: Jennifer Michels, jenniferm@ttd.org, 202-628-9262 (M) 703-395-2195
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, motor carrier, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit us at ttd.org or on Facebook and Twitter.
