Last week, a number of TCU/IAM local leaders and retirees joined hundreds of other Machinists at the 2018 IAMAW Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Their goal was to get the issues facing our members front-and-center before Congress, and the conference was a resounding success.
On Tuesday, May 8th, TCU National Vice President and Legislative Director Ron Kloos spoke to the conference and put forward this year’s agenda for railroad workers. Among the issues were additional funding for the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) to modernize their IT infrastructure, preventing any increases in federal limits to truck size and weight (which would divert traffic off the rails and onto the roads), and finally fixing the funding shortfalls of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) which partially funds transit and commuter projects across the country.
Below are photos from the conference:
TCU/IAM National Vice President & Legislative Director Ron Kloos
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) speaks at the 2018 IAMAW Legislative Conference
Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) addressing the conference.
from left: TCU/IAM Nat. Vice President Jack Dinsdale, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), TCU/IAM Asst. National Rep. Sal Rodriguez.
TCU/IAM (ret.) Tony Padilla with Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (left) and Rep. Betty McCollum (right)
Asst. National Rep. Katrina Coleman and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Asst. National Legislative Director Mark Taylor and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) lead a rally at the U.S. Capitol to announce the introduction of the Workplace Democracy Act. IAM President Bob Martinez stands to his right.
Ben Rich, Chief of Staff to Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) with Katrina Coleman, Keith Shlamadinger and David Arouca.
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) with Local Chairman Keith Shlamadinger
Sonja Schaefer, staff to Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN) meets with Indiana Local Chairman Keith Shlamadinger