As a renewed wave of worker activism sweeps the country, the leaders of 33 transportation unions focused on ways to improve the lives of working families by creating and protecting middle-class transportation jobs, investing in infrastructure, and enhancing on-the-job safety during the Executive Committee meeting of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) of which TCU is a member.
The gathering, comes as teachers in Chicago march for smaller class sizes and greater resources, transit workers in Virginia protest unfair labor practices, workers across the transportation industry fight for more funding, improved safety, and fair contracts, and just days after 50,000 UAW members ratified a new contract, ending the longest automotive strike in 50 years.
“There is a reason people are taking to the streets and fighting for their rights at a rate we haven’t seen in decades. Workers today are fed up with unsafe working conditions, an economy that favors the wealthy, and infrastructure that struggles to meet basic needs,” said TTD president Larry I. Willis. “By fighting for policies that keep our transportation system well-funded, safe, and a creator of good jobs, we can grow the middle class and help rebalance our economy in favor of working families.”
Transportation labor leaders called for robust investments in surface transportation, passenger rail, and our nation’s seaports that put working people first. They vowed to uphold fair trade rules that govern the aviation industry, and mitigate fatigue among cargo pilots. Union leaders are also taking a strong stand against a dangerous, Wall-Street backed business model that threatens good jobs and safety in the freight rail industry.
Click here to read the full release from the TTD.