Washington, DC – John Samuelsen, International President of the Transport Workers Union, issues this statement in support of the Transit Emergency Relief Act:
“We’ve all seen the horrific impact major weather events and natural disasters have on our transit systems. Stations flooded with grimy rainwater, damaged tracks and other impaired infrastructure make travel impossible for commuters and create extraordinarily dangerous conditions for frontline workers.
“Responding quickly in the wake of natural disasters to get our transit systems back up and running is of the utmost importance for our economy and the people who rely on public transportation. Currently, broken funding mechanisms hinder these efforts, and it’s working people who are disproportionately impacted by slow recoveries.
“By providing the kind of stable emergency funding transit agencies need to recover quickly from natural disasters, The Transit Emergency Relief Act will greatly decrease the amount of time it takes for transportation systems to operate safely following major weather events and natural disasters.”