WHEREAS:

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the principal source of federal surface transportation funding, will expire during 2003; and

WHEREAS:

Hundreds of thousands of AFSCME members' jobs are supported by these federal funds; and

WHEREAS:

The fiscal health of the communities in which AFSCME members live and work is dependent upon effective, safe and affordable highway and transit systems; and

WHEREAS:

The proponents of privatization will seek to use the reauthorization of TEA-21 as an opportunity to expand the private sector's presence in highway and transit finance, design, maintenance and operation, and in the process, seek to evade longstanding federal protections built into current law including: labor, civil rights, environmental, planning and engineering, Buy America, and safety standards; and

WHEREAS:

Regional and state transportation planning bodies are responsible for comprehensive transportation plans, including how funds will be spent; and

WHEREAS:

TEA-21 includes the important "13-c" labor protection provisions which state that when federal funds are used to acquire or operate a transit system, there must be arrangements to protect the rights of affected transit workers; and

WHEREAS:

The National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU), of which AFSCME International is a founding member, recently held its third successful conference in Washington, D.C.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME support reauthorization efforts that will strengthen existing communities and favor transportation system rehabilitation and improved operations rather than the expansion of highway capacity into undeveloped areas, that AFSCME consider adequate transportation funding to be one of our Union's legislative priorities, and that the issue of reauthorization be one component of our lobbying efforts at the next AFSCME Legislative Conference; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME joins with NASHTU and other allies to protect existing public highway and transit employment and to work to strengthen the capacity of state and local transportation agencies to prevent contracting out of work and to bring work that has been contracted out back in-house; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME work with the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department and affiliated transit unions to maintain "13-c" coverage; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME support the appointment of labor representatives to regional and state transportation planning agency boards; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME encourages all affiliates representing workers in highway development, maintenance and operations to join and take an active role in the work of NASHTU.

SUBMITTED BY:

Michael D. Murphy, Delegate
AFSCME Local 60, Council 40
David Stark, Secretary-Treasurer and Delegate
AFSCME Local 227, Council 40
Mary Goulding, Delegate
AFSCME Local 3055, Council 40
Jim Garity, Delegate
AFSCME Local 655, Council 40
Scott Sharp, Vice President and Delegate
AFSCME Local 67, Council 40
Ken Young, Secretary-Treasurer and Delegate
AFSCME Local 311, Council 40
Wisconsin