FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2021
Contact: Travis Reuther, treuther@twu.org
The TWU Urges Senate to Immediately Pass COVID Relief Bill
Following the House of Representatives vote to pass the American Rescue Plan, Transport Union Workers of America (TWU) International President John Samuelsen issued the following statement:
“As the TWU continues to mourn the transport workers that we have tragically lost over the past year, we are more committed than ever to getting direct relief in the hands of workers who have been hit hardest by this virus. The American Rescue Plan not only does that, but it also provides a much-needed boost to the transport sector as a whole.
“This bill includes $30 billion for transit systems, $15 billion for the airline Payroll Support Program, and $1.5 billion for Amtrak, every dollar of which comes with strong worker protections that we fought for to ensure that this money goes to our members and other workers who have been putting their lives on the line, not wealthy executives and CEOs.
“As we have said all along, our country doesn’t stand a chance at a COVID-19 recovery if we don’t make relief for frontline workers a top priority. We are calling on the Senate to immediately pass this relief package. Workers can’t wait any longer.”
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The TWU represents more than 150,000 members across the airline, railroad, transit, universities, utilities, and services sectors.