[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 23, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

       RECOGNIZING THE TRANSPORTATION TRADES DEPARTMENT, AFL-CIO

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to the 
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, as it marks its 20th 
anniversary representing our Nation's transportation workers. The TTD 
is a leader in the effort to ensure that our transportation needs are 
fully met, and they work to remind us of the critical role that workers 
serve in this industry.
  As chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation 
and a member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I have 
found TTD to be a trusted, valuable resource to help strengthen our 
infrastructure and expand our skilled, well-trained workforce. We are 
working together to address our ailing bridges and highways, improve 
our rail systems and ports, and modernize our air traffic control 
systems.
  I am proud to have worked with TTD to guard against those who would 
put safety, security, and service at risk. TTD and I have fought 
against risky privatization schemes for Amtrak and air traffic 
controllers and to rein in air carriers who seek out low-cost, poorly 
supervised foreign repair facilities. There is absolutely no excuse for 
cutting corners on safety anywhere in the transportation industry.
  Our work in transportation is far from done. With our economy mired 
in a recession and lingering unemployment crisis, we need to rebuild 
our infrastructure and put Americans back to work. We must do more to 
modernize rail, transit, and ports, improve safety on our roads, and 
invest in the technologies that will make air travel safer and more 
efficient. Transportation workers are a strong partner in these bold 
steps, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with TTD in 
pursuit of these shared goals.
  Twenty years after its inception, the Transportation Trades 
Department, AFL-CIO, continues to be a leader in a more efficient, 
productive, and connected nation. I congratulate the organization on 
this milestone anniversary and wish it continued success in the 
future.

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