Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO President Greg Regan joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the U.S. Senate’s recent confirmation of Amit Bose as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
Regan described Bose as a smart choice for the position. The biggest frustration is how long the confirmation took — over a year, he said. Right wing politicians who claim President Biden has not done enough to alleviate supply chain issues should actually blame themselves after failing to confirm this position faster, he added.
Regan also talked about the Transportation Trades Department’s new affiliations with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWED) and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).
The BLET and the BMWED are both divisions of the Rail Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. All rail labor is now united with the Transportation Trades Department, a significant achievement at a pivotal moment in rail history and the Biden Administration, which promised “the second great railroad revolution,” he said.
Lastly, Regan spoke about the legislative victories President Biden has delivered for transportation labor unions and workers. This includes the American Rescue Plan, which helped rescue the economy in the transportation sector, and the infrastructure bill, the largest investment in America’s highways, bridges and buildings in the history of the country, he added.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.