Welcome to the NASHTU Website
The National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU) is dedicated to ensuring that federal transportation dollars are spent on cost-effective, safe projects that serve the public interest. NASHTU is comprised of 38 unions and associations representing hundreds of thousands of state and locally employed transportation engineers, construction managers and inspectors, technical workers and related public servants from throughout the United States.
Registration Now Open for the 24th Annual NASHTU Conference – Register Today!
The 24th Annual NASHTU Conference will be held June 3 through 5, 2024 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington D.C. To register for the 2024 NASHTU Conference, click here.
The NASHTU Conference provides an important opportunity for transportation unions to come together and strategize about how best to serve our members and deliver safe, cost-effective transportation projects for taxpayers.
The conference is also a chance to hear from some of the preeminent transportation leaders in Washington. Past conferences included the congressional leaders of both Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over transportation and infrastructure and key transportation and labor officials from AASHTO, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, FHWA, Center for American Progress, American Highway Users Alliance, Economic Policy Institute, and many other transportation stakeholder organizations.
NASHTU conference attendees will be able to meet face-to-face with their state’s Congressional Representatives and Senators during the lobbying portion of the conference, reserved for the afternoon of Tuesday, June 4. The NASHTU Conference will also feature networking opportunities, including a Group Dinner where conference attendees can get to know union representatives from other states, and a Congressional Reception where they can mingle with Members of Congress and Congressional staff.
Again, to register for the conference, please visit our conference webpage.
NASHTU 2023 Conference a Great Success!
The 23rd Annual National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU) Conference was held June 5 through 7, 2023 in Washington D.C. NASHTU conference attendees heard from congressional transportation committee members including Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representatives Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), Patrick Ryan (D-NY) and Seth Moulton (D-MA). NASHTU conference participants also heard remarks from U.S. DOT Policy Undersecretary Carlos Monje, FHWA Program Manager Jawad Paracha, and Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO President Greg Regan.
On the Tuesday afternoon of the conference, NASHTU members had the opportunity to meet with their state’s congressional delegation and advocate NASHTU’s legislative priorities including limiting the outsourcing of transportation services on federally funded transportation projects, construction zone safety standards, and transportation workforce issues. That evening, NASHTU hosted a well-attended Congressional Reception that included Members of Congress and congressional staff.
The three-day conference also included many informative panels and presentations on transportation safety, workforce recruitment and retention strategies, outsourcing, upcoming legislative battles, labor issues, and other topics of interest.
In the coming weeks, NASHTU will be posting some of the presentations and photos of the 2023 conference on our website at www.nashtu.us. The NASHTU Planning Committee is in the process of scheduling our Second Annual Virtual Fall Conference and the 2024 Spring Conference. Please plan to participate in both – dates and details will follow soon.
NASHTU Notes
January 11, 2024
Congressional Leaders Agree on Top-line Spending Levels
Over the weekend, congressional leaders announced a $1.59 trillion deal on top-line spending levels for a new federal budget. The agreement may help to avoid a federal government shutdown as the latest funding resolution is due to expire in the next couple weeks.
The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30, and Congress is supposed to agree on a budget for the next fiscal year prior to the September 30 deadline. If Congress can’t agree by the deadline, they usually pass something called a “continuing resolution” that keeps the government funded beyond the start of the fiscal year. In the fall of 2023, Congress passed two continuing resolutions – one that expired in November and another that expires January 19 for certain federal agencies and February 2 for the others.
The top-line spending deal allocates $886 billion to military spending and $704 billion for non-defense spending. The deal paves the way for congressional appropriators to finish their work on the funding bills that will keep the government running after the continuing resolution expires.
While the top-line agreement signifies that congressional leaders are working in unison to pass a budget, it is not a guarantee that the federal government will not shut down. The funding bills still need to be passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by the president to avert a shutdown.
“The framework agreement to proceed will enable the appropriators to address many of the major challenges America faces at home and abroad,” wrote Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a letter announcing the deal. “It will also allow us to keep the investments for hardworking American families secured by the legislative achievements of President Biden and Congressional Democrats.”
According to a CNBC article on the deal, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) acknowledged that the spending levels would “not satisfy” all parties, or cut as much as many had hoped for, but offers a way to “move the process forward.”
Read more on CNBC.