Congress

As published by Keith Laing in The Hill.   Amtrak vote bumped by DHS bill The House has pushed back a vote on a nearly a nearly $8 billion funding bill for Amtrak that was scheduled for a final taplly on Tuesday. The measure, which provides Amtrak about $1.7 billion per year for the next four […]

Instead of separating partisanship from governing and ensuring funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) doesn’t lapse, Speaker Boehner has decided the House will only vote on a short-term extension. This means that in three short weeks we can go through another manufactured, 11th hour crisis that could shut down the DHS, threaten the security […]

Affiliates Re-Elect Wytkind, Willis   ATLANTA, GA—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and leaders of its 32 member unions convened their winter convention over the weekend, celebrated TTD’s 25th anniversary, and rolled out their 2015 policy agenda. With most major transportation investment bills pending this year, including the rewrite of aviation, surface transportation, and passenger rail […]

Transportation labor stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the labor movement in opposing Trade Promotion Authority, or “Fast Track.” For too long this flawed policy has guided our country’s trade laws, and it’s time for Congress to throw out the old model and develop a new plan that works for our nation’s […]

The current surface transportation authorization, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), expired last fall. Congress has passed an extension bill that is set to expire at the end of May, which means the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) that invests in transit and highway programs faces insolvency again if lawmakers fail […]

Since the last rewrite of federal railroad safety laws in 2008, an increased number of hazards identified by both employees and government agencies, coupled with significant growth in the industry, has put a spotlight on the need for legislative action to impose needed safety reforms. Congress must move forward on the expired Rail Safety Improvement […]

In 1993, Intel shipped the first-generation Pentium chips and Nintendo released Star Fox for the Super Nintendo system; the average monthly rent was $532.00; and tuition to Harvard University cost $23,514. A lot has changed since then. One thing, though, hasn’t changed at all: the federal gas tax. When last raised – to 18.4 cents […]

Washington, DC—Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement about the markup of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015: “We are pleased that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a bipartisan passenger rail bill that provides multi-year investment for Amtrak while rejecting ill-advised attempts to force unwanted […]

With the new Congress now firmly in place and working (well, sort of), the first couple of months of 2015 have been fascinating as politicians stake out new ground and rehash old positions. But if I had my 15 minutes of fame sitting in the corner offices of Senate and House leadership, I’d make the […]

This important legislation funds and sustains a key component of our national transportation system, and we commend Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, Subcommittee Chairman Denham and Subcommittee Ranking Member Capuano for their leadership in crafting this bipartisan, compromise legislation. We also ask that you oppose any amendments that would compromise the integrity of the national passenger rail network, or that undermines the bipartisan compromise reached in this bill.