Privatization Would Bankrupt Amtrak
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Ever since the Reagan administration, conservative Republicans have been trying to rip apart the nation’s passenger rail system, Amtrak, and sell its assets to Wall Street. The latest effort, led by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), would privatize Amtrak’s most profitable Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C., and sell the rest of the system to the highest bidder.
With Amtrak doing better today than at any time in its history, breaking up the system would bankrupt the railway, cost thousands of jobs and defeat the purpose of a national passenger rail system.
Take action now. Tell your elected representative that the purpose of running a national passenger rail system isn’t to help Wall Street and private investors make money. Tell them that privatizing Amtrak will bankrupt it and destroy thousands of good jobs.
Breaking: House Votes 220-206 to Keep Anti-Union Rail and Air Elections in FAA Bill
In a defeat for working people, the amendment to strip an anti-union measure from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) re-authorization bill failed on a vote of 220–206. The White House had warned that President Obama would veto the FAA bill if House Republicans prevailed and their move to overturn fair and democratic election rules for air and rail workers remains in the final version.
The House Republican version of the bill (H.R. 658) would repeal last year’s new rule by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that says air and rail elections should be decided just like any other election—including congressional elections—by a majority of votes cast. Previously under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which covers rail and airline workers, each worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote. The Senate version the FAA bill does not roll back the democratic election rule.
Obama: Infrastructure a Top Priority
This is a cross-post from Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department.
At the President’s Columbus Day meeting, I was proud to be at a White House that wants to transform the way we think about and invest in transportation. President Obama is thinking big, and his commitment to expanding and rebuilding America’s transportation network is going to be the key to getting it done.
I’ve long said that if we’re ever going to meet the needs of our decaying transportation system and infrastructure, we need to wring the partisan politics from the debate. Transportation bills have historically enjoyed bipartisan support. Decades of history are filled with examples of Republicans and Democrats coming together around big, often transformative transportation investments.
Rebuilding the Infrastructure Is a ‘No-Brainer’
When President Obama announced his plan to rebuild our nation’s transportation infrastructure, he was affirming what the AFL-CIO and the union movement have been saying for years: Our crumbling infrastructure needs rebuilding and doing so would put thousands of people back to work.
Today, the Council of Economic Advisers and the Treasury Department released a report spelling out the benefits of investing in our infrastructure, saying “well designed infrastructure investments have long term economic benefits” and “the middle class will benefit disproportionately from this investment.” The report also points out that a huge majority of Americans support infrastructure investment.
Senate Confirms Former ALPA President Woerth
The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) today praised the Senate’s confirmation yesterday of former Air Line Pilots (ALPA) President Duane Woerth as U.S. ambassador of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The ICAO is an United Nations agency that fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
In a statement, TTD President Edward Wytkind said:
For decades Woerth has demonstrated his deep understanding of the complex issues that stem from the globalization of air transportation. Having a skilled and forceful ambassador during ICAO deliberations will serve the Obama administration well and will ensure that U.S. aviation concerns, including those of aviation labor, are brought before this important U.N. global aviation policy forum.
Thousands of Workers Without Jobs Due to One Senator: Kentucky’s Bunning
The filibuster started Friday by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) not only has halted a desperately needed unemployment insurance (UI) extension for millions of America’s jobless workers. By blocking the UI bill, Bunning has caused the furlough of 2,000 transportation workers, halted construction on 41 economic recovery projects in 17 states, forced doctors to take big cuts in Medicare payments and left 1.2 million jobless Americans without COBRA.
And Bunning doesn’t seem to care about who suffers because of his move. This morning, when another Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, asked for unanimous consent to extend the unemployment benefits, Bunning objected again.
Deck Stacked Against Airline, Railroad Workers
Proposed rule changes for airline and rail union elections are overdue and will make the current process more democratic, transportation union leaders say. Yesterday was the last day for comments on the new rule, and workers are urging the agency to act quickly to correct the unfair election process.
Currently, elections in these industries require that all eligible workers who do not vote are arbitrarily assigned a “No” vote. This veto by silence is completely at odds with the principles of U.S. democracy. The National Mediation Board (NMB), which oversees airline and rail union elections, has proposed rule changes that would permit a majority of workers who actually vote to decide the election and stop assigning “No” votes to workers who do not participate.
“The deck is currently stacked against airline and railroad workers,” says AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Edward Wytkind.
Family and Medical Leave Extended to Flight Crews
Airline flight crews will soon have the same family and medical leave coverage other working Americans have enjoyed since 1993. The House of Representatives approved legislation yesterday amending the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to allow airline pilots and flight attendants to qualify for leave. The bill now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign it.
The FMLA requires state agencies and private employers with more than 50 employees to give workers up to 12 weeks off to care for themselves or a family member. But because of the unique way their work hours are counted, pilots and flight attendants have found it difficult—if not impossible—to meet the 1,250-hour-per-year threshold required for FMLA eligibility.
