WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Congress and the President consider the Fiscal Year 2003 transportation spending bill, transportation workers from across the country will be calling upon their leaders in Washington to rally around a strong 2003 transportation spending bill that boosts the ailing economy and puts Americans back to work.
Sonny Hall, President of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department (TTD), today announced that he will be urging transportation workers to contact Congress and the White House in support of a transportation appropriations bill that secures adequate and stable funding for Amtrak, restores multi-billion dollar cuts proposed by the Bush administration to the highway program, fully funds the nation’s mass transit, airport and air traffic control needs, imposes the highest safety requirements on Mexican motor carriers entering the United States at our border, and helps modernize and secure the entire transportation system.
Speaking electronically to thousands of activists nationwide, Hall said, “The decisions made in Washington affect not only every transportation worker, but every American. Your voice is needed more than ever to make sure our nation’s leaders make the spending decisions that affect our economy and the quality of life in our communities.”
Hall said that the transportation spending bill (S. 2808) recently approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee is a “major step in the right direction,” thanks to the strong leadership of Senators Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) and Patty Murray (D-WA). The bill now moves to the full Senate and the House version will be considered later this month. Hall urged the House to “follow the good lead” of the Senate appropriations panel.
According to Hall, the Senate committee’s $1.2 billion appropriation for Amtrak,”makes a bold statement that our nation needs Amtrak and that we should make the long over-due investments to finally give it a chance to succeed. By more than doubling the Bush administration’s budget request, the Senate appropriators sought to put an end to Amtrak’s sad legacy of anemic and uncertain funding.”
The transportation labor leader praised the Senate panel for restoring the Bush administration’s proposed $8.6 billion cut in highway spending. “The misguided White House plan would jeopardize over 350,000 jobs and stall key highway projects,” Hall said, urging Congress to unite against these cuts.
Hall also commended the Committee for extending the bipartisan truck and bus safety measures passed last fall which ensure that motor carriers based in Mexico comply with all U.S. safety laws and are subject to rigorous inspections before entering the United States. “The safety of all who use our roads is riding on these rigid cross-border safety and inspection provisions,” Hall said.
Also included in the Senate committee’s bill is $7.08 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to modernize air traffic control and our airports. The bill also provides an additional $1.5 billion over the President’s request for the Transportation Security Administration to strengthen our efforts against security threats.
Regarding bus security, Hall said, “I laud the Senate committee for recognizing that there can be no weak link in transportation security and voting $15 million for inter-city bus security. Over 774 million passengers travel this way each year. And for the men and women who drive these buses, this is their workplace. Like all workers, they have a right to a workplace free of fear, violence and the threat of terrorism.
The Senate panel exceeded the White House’s request for the Federal Transit Administration, helping ensure that our nation’s mass transit system operates safely and efficiently, and can grow to better serve our changing and increasingly mobile nation.
“I am pleased that the Senate Appropriations Committee recognized these pressing national needs and did the best it could to start meeting them. Transportation workers will now urge the full Senate and the House to finish the job,” Hall said.
TTD represents 35 member unions in the rail, aviation, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit www.ttd.org.