Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) at the AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the fallout from the recent government shutdown, the advancement of the Protect America’s Workforce Act and his new role on the Safety 21 advisory committee at Carnegie Mellon University.
Regan began by reflecting on the impact of the protracted government shutdown, which placed federal workers, particularly air traffic controllers, in a uniquely precarious position. Regan called the shutdown, “the stupidest thing a government can do to itself,” criticizing both the financial inefficiency and the personal toll on workers forced to do their jobs without knowing when they might be paid. He reiterated the need for policy changes to ensure that essential workers remain financially secure during potential future shutdowns, citing efforts to advocate for protections that guarantee pay even when Congress fails to fund the government on time.
Next, his conversation turned to the Protect America’s Workforce Act. Regan described it as critical legislation that would restore collective bargaining rights to federal employees, including transportation security officers and Department of Homeland Security staff, who lost them under previous executive orders. Regan explained that the bill, widely supported by House Democrats and some Republicans, surpassed a key procedural hurdle with 218 signatures on a discharge petition, positioning it for a full vote on the House floor. If passed, the act would reverse what Regan deemed to be one of the most significant union-busting moves by the government since their actions following the 1981 Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization strike.
Finally, Regan discussed his new appointment to the Safety 21 advisory committee at Carnegie Mellon University, an initiative focused on leveraging technology and automation to improve road safety. Representing labor on a panel traditionally dominated by technologists and academics, Regan advocated for implementing new technologies as tools that enhance, rather than replace, the skills of transportation workers. He stressed the importance of responsible, worker-centered innovation, cautioning against the all-too-common use of automation as a means to cut jobs rather than as an aid to the professionals responsible for maintaining safety in America’s transportation networks.
For more from Regan, please listen to the full episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast above.