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NASHTU Annual Conference Attendees
from around the Country, May 11-13, 2005
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NASHTU’s roots extend back to 1999 when a number of unions and
employee associations representing engineers and related
professionals employed by state transportation departments
throughout the country began to share information and discuss
common issues and how to address them.
Over the last decade, major changes in transportation policies
have had an enormous impact on transportation department
workers. Transportation engineers, construction managers and
inspectors, technical workers and related professionals have
been confronted with an increase in contracting out,
implementation of design-build, changes in federal funding,
legislation and regulations, use of temporary employees and
construction of private toll roads, among other issues.
The discussion participants quickly realized that we all had
much in common. From Michigan to Ohio, from Massachusetts to
Connecticut, from California to Washington to New York and New
Jersey, participants also recognized the need to work together
on these issues to achieve shared goals.
The first step was a conference of our loose coalition of
like-minded unions and associations held in Chicago in April
2000. Conference sessions helped our members learn more about
federal practices and procedures and allowed an exchange of
ideas and possible solutions to common problems. Sixty
representatives from a dozen states, five different
internationals, and numerous independent associations
participated.
Out of the first conference came an awareness that contracting
out for engineering and technical services is a problem in
nearly every state. While it’s expensive and frequently results
in inferior work, outsourcing has strong political and
institutional support within state and local transportation
agencies.
The Second Annual Conference was held in April 2001 in
Washington, D.C. This time, there were more than 70 attendees.
Speakers and panelists included two members of Congress, key
Transportation Committee Staff, and representatives from the
General Accounting Office, the Inspector General, the FHWA, and
others. The Conference adopted a set of resolutions addressing
sound principals and policies for the coalition to pursue in the
coming year.
Moving from information-sharing the first year to policy-setting
the second year, the coalition moved on to implementation
actions. State affiliates were encouraged to actively pursue the
policy resolution in their states. In September 2001, the
coalition officially became the National Association of State
Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU).
Over the last year, NASHTU has drafted and proposed federal
legislation - - the Safety Accountability and Funding Efficiency
for Transportation Act (SAFE-T) - - to ensure that contracting
out is cost-effective, results in the construction of safe
projects, or serves the public interest. NASHTU also produced a
report - - "Highway Robbery" - - focused on the problems of
contracting out (fraud, inefficiency, and waste) from around the
country and brought them together in one document.
The third annual NASHTU Conference, held in Washington, D.C.
from May 1 - 3, 2002, was a resounding success. Prestigious
speakers included U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary
Norm Mineta, U.S. Senator James Jeffords (Independent-VT), the
Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee,
Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA) and James McGovern (D-MA) and
representatives from key federal agencies and congressional
committees.
The third conference was an excellent opportunity for NASHTU to
be recognized by high ranking congressional and federal
officials, educate top federal Executive Branch and legislative
leaders on the issues and propose solutions to problems. The
conference again affirmed the need for a national organization
representing transportation unions and dedicated to achieving
the common goals of NASHTU members. Already, the success of the
conference has prompted invitations from federal officials to
NASHTU members to participate in other conferences and
activities.
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NASHTU
National Association of State Highway
and Transportation Unions
455 Capitol Mall, Suite 501
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-446-0584 | Fax: 916-446-0489
Copyright ©2007 NASHTU.
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