Category: Aviation

FAA reauthorization: A Sisyphean struggle

November 15, 2011 WASHINGTON – For more than four years, Congress has attempted, unsuccessfully, to pass a long-term commercial aviation funding bill to modernize airports and the national’s air traffic control system. Two sticking points this year in reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Ad [...]

Tags Essential Air Service, FAA reauthorizaton, Harry Reid, Jay Rockefeller, John Mica, NMB rule

Bus, transit and EAS funding extended

September 16, 2011 WASHINGTON – Federal Transit Administration bus-project and other transit funding – in danger owing to political squabbling — will remain in place at least through March 31, 2012, following House and Senate action to extend temporarily, for the eighth time since 2009, h [...]

Tags bus funding, EAS, essential air services, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Transit Administration, transit funding

NTSB: Latest safety recommendations

June 28, 2011 WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board has updated its “Most Wanted” transportation safety improvements. Included are recommendations for improved bus, rail and aviation safety. Following are the NTSB’s comments of interest to UTU members: Fatigue Airplanes, bu [...]

Tags fatigue, NTSB, safety

Futhey pointing; Mike Futhey; Futhey, Mike; Pointing

State of the union: ‘Stronger than ever’

June 23, 2011 International President Mike Futhey SAN ANTONIO — Stronger protections for members, improved finances, successful organizing drives and superior wage and benefits agreements characterize the United Transportation Union in 2011, International President Mike Futhey told s [...]

Tags dues increase, Futhey, state of the union

Wisconsin decision will embolden extremists

June 15, 2011 MADISON, Wis. – A divided state supreme court here June 14 ruled in a 4-3 decision that the state’s controversial law revoking collective-bargaining rights for public employees may go into effect – overturning an injunction issued by a lower court. This is important to UTU me [...]

Tags collective bargaining defense fund, Ohio, political extremists, UTU PAC, Wisconsin

Have you experienced unruly passengers?

June 15, 2011 The UTU, Amtrak and other labor organizations have designed a survey to aid in the development of training and awareness programs to assist Amtrak employees deal with unruly, disorderly or aggressive passengers. While development of this program is intended for Amtrak, all UT [...]

Tags Amtrak, passengers, survey, unruly

Fight for our futures against labor’s enemies

June 7, 2011 UTU members are stepping up to the plate in the fight to preserve collective bargaining rights, Amtrak, workplace safety, Railroad Retirement, Social Security and Medicare by mounting a counter attack on political extremists intent on destroying organized labor and all it has [...]

Tags Amtrak, anti-union, collective bargaining defense fund, Hynes, Lenfest, Local 113, union busting, UTU PAC

Transport-employee fatigue continues to kill

June 2, 2011 While sleep scientists have established that going to work fatigued is like going to work drunk, there remains a disconnect among those who manage transportation firms. And people are needlessly dying and being seriously injured as a result. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHoo [...]

Tags designated legal counsel, fatigue, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA, LaHood, National Transportation Safety Board, OSHA, whistleblower

Union-busting efforts face glare of sunlight

May 31, 2011 Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis coined the term, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” Indeed, sunlight cast by labor-union members on the dark-of-night action by political extremists in the Wisconsin legislature is having a meaningful impact in Wiscons [...]

Tags anti-union, collective bargaining, collective bargaining defense fund, recalls, rights, union busting, Wisconsin

Tentative pact for Great Lakes flight attendants

May 26, 2011 A tentative four-year agreement covering flight attendants employed by Great Lakes Airlines and represented by UTU Local 40 has been negotiated with the carrier. The agreement has been circulated for ratification, with votes to be counted May 17. The UTU represents some 300 f [...]

Tags agreement, aviation, contract, Great Lakes, Great Lakes Airlines, Great Lakes flight attendants, pact, ratification, ratify, UTU Local 40