Transportation Trades Department, AFL–CIO

The Transportation Trades Department, AFL–CIO (TTD) is a constitutionally mandated department of the AFL–CIO. It was founded in February 1990 to provide AFL–CIO-affiliated unions whose members work in the transportation industry or who build transportation infrastructure a unified policy-making voice on transportation issues. TTD has 37 member unions as of October 2022.

Formation
Efforts to create a department within the AFL–CIO which united all transportation unions began in the 1960s. The effort received a boost two decades later when Richard I. Kilroy, President of the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks, and James Kennedy, President of the Transportation Communication Union, began advocating for a new, unified transportation trades department after the abolition of the Railway Employees Department in 1980. The idea was not well-received until after 1987, when the Teamsters (a major transportation union) reaffiliated with the AFL–CIO.

At its founding, TTD represented 1.4 million (10 percent) of the AFL–CIO's 14 million members. Richard I. Kilroy was named the first president of the new department. Walter Shea (director of the Eastern Conference of Teamsters in Washington, D.C.) was elected Secretary-Treasurer. James Kennedy, who was also the executive director of the Railway Labor Executives' Association, was named TTD's first (and, at the time, only) full-time professional staff person.

The United Transportation Union did not join TTD at its formation.

The TTD's inaugural convention was held in early October 1990 in Washington, D.C., with representatives from its 24 member unions (who represented more than 1 million members). The largest delegations came from the Teamsters, the International Association of Machinists, and the Association of Flight Attendants. Other unions well represented at the convention included the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Communications Workers of America, International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, Transport Workers Union, Transportation Communication Union, United Auto Workers, and the United Steelworkers of America. Richard Kilroy was elected to a five-year term as TTD President.

Presidents and Executive Directors
In July 1991, Kilroy was defeated for re-election as president of his home union by Robert A. Scardelletti. James Kennedy resigned from TTD in the wake of Kilroy's defeat, and Edward Wytkind, assistant executive director of the department, became executive director. Although Kilroy stepped down (as expected) as TTD president at the department's October executive board meeting, TTD did not immediately name either an interim or permanent successor. Instead, the TTD said Secretary-Treasurer Walter Shea would "assume the duties of the presidency" until February 1992. The TTD executive board subsequently elected Shea president and V.M. Speakman (president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen) Secretary-Treasurer.

Shea's term of office ended in 1995, and Ron Carey, President of the Teamsters, was elected to take his place. But Carey was expelled from the Teamsters in July 1998 by federal government monitors after allegedly accepting illegal donations for his Teamsters re-election campaign, and Sonny Hall, President of the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), was elected TTD president.

Hall retired at the end of his five-year term in 2003, and Edward Wytkind was elected president of the Transportation Trades Department.

Wytkind served as president for several successful terms and stepped down in July 2017. He was succeeded by Larry I. Willis, who had previously served as Secretary Treasurer of TTD under Wytkind.

Following Larry Willis' death in November 2021, serving Secretary Treasurer Greg Regan was unanimously elected president of the Transportation Trades Department.

Issues
Two of the main purposes of the Transportation Trades Department are to influence national transportation policy and to speak as a unified voice for the concerns of organized labor on transportation issues. Included among the more notable issues in which the TTD has played a major role are:
 * The 1991 national railroad strike.
 * Safety issues (including drug and alcohol testing) in rail, truck, and air transportation.
 * Trucking deregulation and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
 * Railroad mergers, such as the Burlington Northern with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and the Union Pacific with the Southern Pacific, and the breakup of Conrail. Watson, Rip. "Unions, While Concerned, Stop Short of Opposing BN-Santa Fe Merger." Journal of Commerce. March 1, 1995; Phillips, Don. "Merger Plan Spurs Debate On Railroad Consolidation." Washington Post. October 21, 1995; Watson, Rip. "Rail Unions Oppose Plan for Merging of Two Pacifics." Journal of Commerce. October 2, 1995; Watson, Rip. "Transport Union Gives Nod to Proposed SP-UP Merger." Journal of Commerce. March 1, 1996; Nall, Stephanie. "Lawmakers Pressed on Conrail Impasse." Journal of Commerce. July 30, 1996; Edward, Greg. "Union Will Stand As One on Merger." The Roanoke Times. October 31, 1996; "AFL-CIO Studies Rail Merger." Charleston Gazette. November 1, 1996; McKay, Jim. "Unions Unite to Examine Proposals for Rail Merger." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 2, 1996; Dinsmore, Christopher. "Railroad Merger: Union Predicts Job Losses." The Virginian-Pilot. March 15, 1997; McKay, Jim. "Railroad's Breakup Puts Conrail Workers In Limbo." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 13, 1997; Gerdel, Thomas W. "Labor Fears Merger Will Hurt Workers." The Plain Dealer. March 22, 1997; "Unions Fight Changes at Norfolk Southern." The Roanoke Times. May 2, 1997; Sansbury, Tim. "New Course in Senate." Journal of Commerce. May 1, 1997; Elliott, Stephen. "RR Union Chiefs Picketing." Galesburg Register-Mail. May 1, 1997; Watson, Rip. "Rail Unions to Congress: Just Say No." Journal of Commerce. April 18, 1997; Dinsmore, Christopher. "Norfolk Southern, CSX in Tug of War With Unions." The Virginian-Pilot. May 6, 1997; Walker, Rob. "AFL-CIO Fights for Deal for Conrail." Richmond Times Dispatch. September 6, 1997; "Union Leaders Oppose Rail Merger." Charleston Daily Mail. September 5, 1997; Sturgeon, Jeff. "Unions Call Conrail Sale Anti-Worker." The Roanoke Times. September 5, 1997; Dinsmore, Christopher. "Rail Labor Launches Campaign in Opposition to Conrail Split." The Virginian-Pilot. September 5, 1997; Zielbauer, Paul and Moorse, Alan. "2 Meetings Air 2 Views on Conrail." Albany Times Union. September 18, 1997; Jesdaunun, Anick. "Labor Groups to Fight Conrail Plan Over Safety Issue." Associated Press. October 7, 1997; "Labor Hopes to Derail Plans to Divide Up Railroad." Charleston Daily Mail. October 8, 1997; Watson, Rip. "Shippers, Officials Slam Union Pacific." Journal of Commerce. October 28, 1997; Walker, Rob. "States, Shippers Praise Plan to Buy Conrail." Richmond Times Dispatch. October 26, 1997; Dinsmore, Christopher. "Conrail Deal Is Making Tracks." The Virginian-Pilot. October 26, 1997; Watson, Rip. "Unions Vociferous in Opposing Conrail Merger Proposal." Journal of Commerce. November 7, 1997; "Judge Restricts Potential Rail Strikes." Charleston Daily Mail. May 15, 1998.
 * Shipping deregulation.
 * Amtrak reform.
 * Port, rail, and air transport security issues after the 9/11 attacks, and aid for workers in transportation sectors affected by the events. Kirchhoff, Sue. "Aid Backed for Airlines, But Extent Is Uncertain." Boston Globe. September 19, 2001; Girion, Lisa and Cleeland, Nancy. "Airline Won't Give Workers Severance Pay." Los Angeles Times. September 25, 2001; Giriion, Lisa and Cleeland, Nancy. "Northwest Says It Also Will Not Pay Severance in Layoffs." Los Angeles Times. September 26, 2001; Eilperin Juliet and Schneider, Greg. "House GOP Refines Air Security Bill." Washington Post. November 1, 2001; Cohen, Robert. "Ports Worried By Slow Pace of Safeguards Against Terror." Newark Star-Ledger. April 14, 2002; Stannard, Matthew B. "Unions Banned For Screeners At Most Airports." San Francisco Chronicle. January 10, 2003; Geewax, Marilyn. "House OKs Plan to Aid Air Workers." Atlanta Journal-Constitution. April 9, 2003; Eaton, Joe. "Longshoremen Worry That Port Security Proposals Could Hit Them Hardest." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. March 16, 2004; Rose, Thom J. "U.S. Rail Security Concerns Persist." United Press International. May 5, 2004; Miller, Leslie. "Federal Rail Security Directive Issued, Says Many Requirements Already Met." Associated Press. May 21, 2004; Skrzycki, Cindy. "Business, Labor Fight Over Hazmat Handling." Washington Post. July 6, 2004; Miller, Leslia. "Government Expands Test of Transportation Worker Identity Card." Associated Press. November 17, 2004; Hirschman, Dave. "Skies Safer, Despite Woes." Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 4, 2005; Cohn, Meredith. "Another Port Lapse: IDs." The Baltimore Sun. April 2, 2006; Cohn, Meredith. "U.S. to Screen Names at Ports." The Baltimore Sun. April 26, 2006; Waterman, Shaun. "Transportation Worker ID Plan 'Gutted'." United press International. August 24, 2006; Cohn, Meredith. "Truck Drivers Deplore Port Fee." The Baltimore Sun. January 5, 2007; Sniffen, Michael J. "AFL-CIO Criticizes Anti-Terror Screening System That Might Record Union Membership." Associated Press. October 11, 2007; McCandlish, Laura. "Closer Scrutiny Set At Ports." The Baltimore Sun. October 31, 2007; McCandlish, Laura. "A Slow Start for Port IDs." The Baltimore Sun. November 28, 2007; Olson, Bradley and Dresser, Michael. "Port Security Battle Rages." The Baltimore Sun. August 2, 2008; Sullivan, Eileen. "More Problems for Major Post-9/11 Security Program." Associated Press. December 4, 2008; Lowy, Joan. "Bid to Better Oversee Aircraft Repair Work Abroad." Associated Press. May 21, 2009; Lowy, Joan. "Promises, Promises: 6 Years and Still No Rules." Associated Press. November 18, 2009.