ABOUT NASHTU
 

NASHTU Annual Conference Attendees
from around the Country, May 11-13, 2005


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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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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