HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The leaders of 35 AFL-CIO transportation unions today stood together to recognize and support the men and women of the United States Merchant Marine and the Civil Air Reserve Air Fleet for “answering the call to duty in America’s continuing war against terrorism.”
“Despite the crucial role they serve in protecting United States interests at home and abroad, U.S. merchant mariners and members of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet are often not afforded the credit they deserve. This is because they do their jobs outside the lens of the global media. In doing their jobs they do not seek publicity and rarely get any. They do their jobs and answer the call to duty to support our troops because they are patriots. As such, they should be recognized as among organized labor’s – and indeed America’s – unsung heroes,” TTD declared.
Calling the U.S. merchant marine serves the nation’s fourth arm of defense, the Executive Committee of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) noted the critical role merchant mariners serve in providing the critical sealift support to the nation’s armed forces. “U.S. merchant mariners have fulfilled these essential services in every major conflict and national emergency since the nation’s beginning,” TTD leaders noted in their unanimously adopted resolution.
In Operation Enduring Freedom, the largest military operation to ever fight the global war against terrorism, the U.S. merchant marine has once again responded to our nation’s call to duty. Serving in the largest activation of United States merchant vessels since Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the merchant mariners and their unions have crewed the U.S. government’s cargo ships in record time, often within 24 hours of activation.
“Currently more than 150,000 troops in the Middle East are relying upon our merchant mariners to supply them with necessary tools, provisions and equipment such as jeeps, tanks, helicopters, ammunition, daily food rations, and water purification systems to win the war against terrorism,” TTD said..
The Civil Reserve Air Fleet, deployed for the first time since the Persian Gulf War, has seen pilots and flight attendants transporting men and women into the conflict zone everyday. Additionally, many transportation workers have been called up for active duty service in our nation’s military.
For a copy of the resolution, visit www.ttd.org or call 202/628-9262. TTD represents 35 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit www.ttd.org