Legislative and Political Efforts at Work for You.
History reflects that some of the most impactful labor movements in our country began at the grassroots level with dedicated people who made personal sacrifices, fighting for their beliefs and values on behalf of working men and women in our country. Grassroots is an attitude; it is an attitude of freedom, of creativity, of unrestrained political enthusiasm, of willingness to band together with ordinary citizens like us for a common purpose. That common purpose is to protect workers’ rights, job security, and workplace safety for every railroad machinist at work today. At District Lodge 19, this is our belief in the ideals that define what it means to be a machinist. We have experienced many triumphs, but the battle is never over. We must continue to unite and grow in numbers to stop any legislative action that puts our protected members at risk. District Lodge 19, in coordination with our partners below, will continue to facilitate and implement “grassroots” efforts to change public policy and pre-empt any new laws that do not fundamentally protect every one of our machinists.
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
The AFL-CIO is the umbrella federation for U.S. unions, with 56 unions representing 12.5 million working men and women. They work to ensure that all people who work receive the rewards of their work—decent paychecks and benefits, safe jobs, respect, and fair treatment. The AFL-CIO work to make the voices of working people heard in the White House, on Capitol Hill, in state capitals across the country, and corporate boardrooms. Their independent voice for working families and ways for working people to be actively engaged in politics and legislation has paid off. They also hold corporations accountable for their treatment of employees and ensure the voice of working people is heard in the financial system. In addition, they work with federations of unions in other countries toward global, social, and economic fairness.
Transportation Trades Department (TTD)
Founded in April 1990, TTD is an umbrella organization of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) that represents the interests of several million aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, and longshore workers before Congress, the Executive Branch, and independent government agencies. Through TTD, the working men and women who are represented by the Department’s 32 member unions have a strong, united voice in Washington, D.C.