About NASHTU

NASHTU’s roots extend back to 1999 when a number of unions and employee associations representing engineers and related transportation workers employed by state and local transportation departments began to share information and discuss how to address common issues.  NASHTU, the National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions, has now grown into a coalition of 38 unions and affiliates from 20 states and the District of Columbia representing hundreds of thousands of state and locally employed public transportation workers throughout the United States.

The annual conferences have demonstrated that outsourcing for engineering, technical, and other transportation services is a problem in nearly every state.  By coming together and sharing strategies and perspectives, NASHTU can help each member union be more successful in its fight to limit wasteful, overpriced outsourcing.

NASHTU Conference attendees have heard from a variety of speakers over the years including: Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Former Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta, Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, Representatives John Mica, James Oberstar, Nick Rahall, Peter DeFazio, Don Young, Stephen Lynch, Elijah Cummings, Robert Filner, Earl Blumenauer, William Pascrell, Donna Edwards, Timothy Walz, Judy Chu, John Garamendi, and Senators Amy Klobuchar, James Jeffords and Robert Menendez.  John Horsley, Executive Director of AASHTO, and Ed Wytkind, President of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department have also addressed our Conference.

In 2002, NASHTU produced a highly acclaimed report Highway Robbery, which focused on the problems of outsourcing (fraud, inefficiency, and waste) from around the country and brought them together in one document.

In 2007, NASHTU released Highway Robbery II, an update of the 2002 report that highlights the enormous problems, including delays in project delivery, cost overruns, and reduced project safety that have been created in recent years when transportation agencies unnecessarily outsource design, construction management, and inspection on transportation projects.

In recent years, NASHTU has sponsored legislative proposals designed to improve safety and reduce costs of surface transportation projects throughout the nation.

For more information, please contact us at 916/446-0584 or via e-mail at nashtu@nashtu.us.