Summer 2002
Volume 109 - No. 2
Summer 2002
Volume 109 - No. 2
President's Message
TTD a Voice for Transportation Workers
Earlier this summer, I met with the President's Deputy Domestic Policy
Advisor and Political Affairs Director at the White House, Transportation
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, FRA Administrator Allan Rutter and many Congressional
leaders.
The purpose of these meetings was to save Amtrak. All of the transportation labor leaders involved were from AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department affiliates. We made progress in these meetings and, hopefully, got across to Secretary Mineta and the White House staff labor's concerns with the shuttering of Amtrak, since this is the front-burner issue for rail labor right now.
As it often does, the TTD had an impact in Washington, D.C. Since its foundation, the TTD has provided an influential voice for transportation workers. It has lent its voice to many issues over the years and the continuing operation of our nation's passenger railroad has been one of the TTD's concerns since its creation over a decade ago. In fact, it is one of many issues that keep reoccurring throughout the TTD's history.
The TTD was founded in 1990, after a decade in which transportation labor had seen its quality of life eroded. The 1980s were a decade of deregulation, union-busting, mega-mergers and bankruptcies in the transportation industry. In short, it was a bad time to be a transportation worker.
The TTD had been around as an idea for many years before its foundation, but AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland had finally seen enough problems. In 1989, he formed a committee to study the foundation of the department, now known as the Transportation Trades Department.
The 1989 AFL-CIO convention voted unanimously to adopt the recommendation of the committee and form the department. The TTD opened its doors on April 2, 1990.
Today, the TTD has 34 affiliates. Each of these affiliated organizations represents a diverse membership that has diverse concerns. But, one area they all have in common is the fervent wish to better the lives of all working men and women.
The TTD works to fulfill this wish in many ways. The biggest is information. The TTD provides a constant source of information for transportation labor. Executive Director Ed Wytkind and his staff are on top of the issues that affect labor and work to keep the affiliates informed of these concerns. TTD President Sonny Hall effectively works at building consensus on issues of concern.
Within the TTD, affiliates must reach a consensus on issues before they are acted on by the organization. While this is sometimes very challenging, this consensus enables us to act as one with a collective and cohesive voice.
This singular action is important in a place like Washington. Many different groups are trying to get their voices heard on any number of issues, but the coordinated efforts of the TTD enable us to be heard in the halls of Congress and the Executive branch. Through the TTD, affiliates are able to have dialogues with Congressional leaders and staff members and members of all the branches of the federal government.
So how does the BLE fit into all of this? The BLE has been a part of the TTD for many years. We are also a member of the Rail Labor Division of the TTD.
The Rail Labor Division of the TTD is a subgroup of the organization that meets separately from the body of the TTD. The division acts on issues that relate to the unique challenges of railroad labor. Each year, the Rail Labor Division elects a new chairman. This year's chairman is Leo McCann, President of the ATDD-BLE.
Along with its legislative aspects, the TTD has also been a strong supporter of the BLE in our struggles against the UTU. The affiliates and the TTD itself have supported us through letters and legal briefs to the NMB and attempts to influence the outcome of this battle in other ways. Their support is greatly appreciated and will hopefully continue for as long as it takes to resolve this issue.
In the decade since its founding, the TTD has made great strides in improving the lives of the men and women who work in the transportation trades. However, much more work remains to be done. We look forward to continuing to work with the TTD in the coming years as we strive to make the industry a better place for its workers.
© 2002 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers