Dear Representative:
As the House continues consideration of H.R. 8294 – Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2023, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO urges you to support the final bill and oppose the following amendments.
Oppose
Vote NO on En Bloc #1, which includes Amendment #85 to Division A offered by Representative Allen, #84 to Division A offered by Representatives Hern and Good, and #86 to Division A offered by Representatives Norman and Perry. These amendments would undermine our transportation systems by drastically and bluntly cutting the funds appropriated in this bill. Transportation labor is strongly opposed to this cynical and irresponsible attempt to score political points by undermining federal funding for transportation programs.
Vote NO on En Bloc #4, which includes Amendment #25 to Division A and Amendment #20 to Division F offered by Representatives Good, Perry, Norman, Roy, Miller, Budd, and Clyde. These amendments would ensure that no funds are used to implement, administer, or enforce the Davis-Bacon Act. Davis-Bacon has been a critical component of federally funded transportation projects for decades, and promotes a fair labor market by upholding local wage standards. Transportation labor is strongly opposed to these attempts to eliminate prevailing wage standards.
Vote NO on En Bloc #5, which includes Amendment #126 to Division D offered by Representatives Roy and Perry. This amendment would eliminate funding for the Federal Labor Relations Authority. The FLRA is necessary to facilitate the administration of federal labor-management relations, and it protects the rights of federal workers to form and join unions, resolve disputes, and bargain collectively with federal agencies. Transportation labor is strongly opposed to this brazen attack on the rights of federal workers.
Support
Vote YES on En Bloc #2, which includes Amendment #59 to Division A offered by Representatives Kahele, Ferguson, Bergman, and Davis. This amendment would prevent predatory flag-of-convenience airlines that avoid collective bargaining rights, safety regulation, and high-road employment standards from operating in the United States. Transportation labor has long supported applying public interest scrutiny to foreign air carrier permits and the protection of labor standards in the aviation industry, and we proudly support this amendment.
H.R. 8294 provides much-needed funding to our nation’s transportation network. We urge you to support final passage and reject any amendments that would undermine federal transportation programs and the rights of workers.
Sincerely,
Greg Regan
President