WASHINGTON, DC—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) is pleased to welcome the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and UNITE HERE as the organization’s 32nd and 33rd affiliated union.
“This organization exists to give voice to millions of transportation workers whose jobs and livelihoods are directly linked to what happens in Washington,” said TTD President Edward Wytkind. “Our newest member unions make us that much stronger in fighting for middle-class transportation jobs and the right to form and join unions.”
AFGE will bring to TTD the voices of TSA Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), the men and women who staff the front lines of airport security across America.
“We look forward to working with AFGE in its continuing battle to demand fair treatment and safe and quality jobs for the TSOs who help make our skies safe,” said Wytkind. “We welcome them to transportation labor’s table.”
UNITE HERE, which represents food and beverage workers at Amtrak, rejoins TTD at a time when we are leading the labor movement’s pursuit of full, multi-year funding for Amtrak and opposition to reckless privatization and outsourcing mandates.
“We categorically reject those who believe we should run Amtrak on the cheap and use the legislative process to sell-off Amtrak’s network and fire the rail carrier’s onboard professionals,” Wytkind said. “UNITE HERE members and all onboard employees are skilled first responders whose jobs should not be outsourced to fast food chains as some have proposed.”
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 33 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, motor carrier, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit us at www.ttd.org or on Facebook and Twitter.
Contact: Jennifer Michels, jenniferm@ttd.org, 703.395.2195