Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO

What Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO does

Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) is a non-profit labor federation founded in 1990 as one of several AFL-CIO trades departments alongside the Maritime Trades Department, Metal Trades Department, and North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU). It is described as America's largest transportation labor federation, representing 39 affiliated member unions and millions of transportation workers across aviation, rail, maritime, transit, public service, and construction/manufacturing sectors. TTD delivers policy advocacy, legislative lobbying, regulatory commentary, congressional testimony, and coalition-building services on behalf of its member unions, with active engagement before Congress, the Executive Branch, and federal agencies such as the FRA, FAA, DOT, STB, TSA, and OPM. Its go-to-market motion is event-driven and sales-led in the policy sense, centering on congressional testimony, coalition letters, and formal comment submissions rather than commercial product distribution.

TTD does not develop or operate proprietary technology products and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Its core deliverable is policy influence: it has shaped major transportation legislation including Amtrak reauthorization, FAA reauthorization, surface transportation bills, and Railroad Retirement Board stability provisions, alongside work on Jones Act protections, Buy America procurement policy, and air traffic control modernization (BNATCS).

The business model is a non-profit, dues-funded federation. Revenue is sourced from member union dues (characterized as subscription/recurring in input). The organization is governed by affiliated member unions, led by elected President Greg Regan and Secretary-Treasurer Shari Semelsberger (both re-elected 2025), and maintains a small professional staff of approximately nine people headquartered at 815 Black Lives Matter Plaza, NW, Washington, D.C. TTD is not investor-backed and has no funding rounds, acquisitions, or subsidiaries.

Name

Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO

Legal name

Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO

Website

https://ttd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TTD is a non-profit AFL-CIO trades department that represents 39 affiliated unions and millions of workers across aviation, rail, maritime, transit, public service, and construction before Congress and federal agencies through policy advocacy and lobbying.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Union Dues: TTD is funded through dues paid by its 39 affiliated member unions. As a trades department of the AFL-CIO, it operates as a not-for-profit federation representing transportation labor interests in the political arena.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TTD is a labor federation that represents 39 affiliated transportation unions and millions of workers before Congress, federal agencies, and the executive branch. Its core offering is policy advocacy and legislative lobbying on transportation labor issues, including collective bargaining rights, workplace safety, infrastructure investment, and procurement policy. TTD delivers this through congressional testimony, coalition letters, federal comments, and direct lobbying rather than through any commercial product or service.

Product overview

Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) is America\'s largest transportation labor federation, representing 39 member unions and millions of workers across every mode of transportation. Rather than offering technology products, TTD provides advocacy services, policy representation, collective bargaining support, legislative advocacy, and regulatory commentary on behalf of its affiliated unions. The organization\'s activities include lobbying Congress, filing federal comments with regulatory agencies, issuing policy statements, providing hearing testimony, and coordinating with industry stakeholders on transportation labor issues. TTD advocates for workers in maritime, rail, aviation, transit, public service, and construction/manufacturing industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Federal Legislative Advocacy and Lobbying
• Congressional and Hearing Testimony
• Federal Regulatory Comments
• Coalition Coordination and Joint Advocacy
• Larry Willis Leadership Award

Quantifiable outcome

• TTD has influenced major transportation legislation including Amtrak reauthorization, FAA reauthorization, and surface transportation bills.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Modern Skies CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026TTD is a member of the Modern Skies Coalition, representing more than 50 aviation stakeholders advocating for the Brand-New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) modernization effort. TTD co-signed coalition letters urging Congress to allocate $20 billion for closing the BNATCS funding gap. The coalition includes airlines, pilot associations, aerospace manufacturers, and labor groups.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990TTD was founded by the AFL-CIO in 1990 as one of several trades departments. TTD is a federation similar in structure to the AFL-CIO itself, advocating for working people in transportation sectors. Other AFL-CIO trades departments include the Maritime Trades Department, Metal Trades Department, and North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU). TTD works within the broader AFL-CIO family on shared policy goals.
• Association of American Railroads (AAR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTTD works with AAR on bipartisan rail legislation, including the Railroad Retirement Board Stability Act and rail safety initiatives. While TTD represents rail labor and AAR represents railroads, they have found common ground on specific legislative priorities benefiting both workers and the rail industry.
• American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTTD collaborates with ASLRRA on rail policy initiatives, including co-signing letters supporting the Railroad Retirement Board Stability Act and other shared legislative priorities affecting short line and regional railroads and their workers.
• Jobs to Move America CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTTD participates as a board member of the Jobs to Move America Coalition, coordinating efforts to reform transportation procurement policy. The coalition advocates for domestic manufacturing and American jobs in transportation infrastructure projects.
• United for InfrastructureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTTD participates in the United for Infrastructure coalition, which launched the 'Building a Stronger America' campaign to advocate for continued federal infrastructure investment and maintain awareness of the importance of transportation infrastructure funding.
• Maritime Labor Coalition (Jones Act advocates)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTTD is part of a coalition of U.S. maritime labor organizations (including American Maritime Officers, MEBA, ILA, MM&P, Sailors' Union of the Pacific, Seafarers International Union, and others) advocating against Jones Act waivers and for the preservation of U.S.-flag maritime industry.
• House Labor CaucusflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTTD works closely with the House Labor Caucus, chaired by Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-1), to advance labor-friendly transportation legislation and policy priorities in Congress.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• United for Infrastructure: Infrastructure advocacy coalition of which TTD is a member. A peer as a multi-stakeholder coalition promoting federal infrastructure investment — directly relevant to TTD's core IIJA and surface transportation policy work.
• National Education Association: Largest U.S. labor union, representing public-sector education workers. A peer as a large, dues-funded advocacy organization operating in the public-sector labor space — adjacent to TTD's public-service segment (letter carriers, school bus drivers).
• Jobs to Move America: Coalition on whose board TTD sits, focused on transportation procurement policy and Buy America enforcement. A peer advocacy organization with overlapping transportation-policy agenda and direct coalition relationship with TTD.

Direct peers

• Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO: Sister AFL-CIO trades department representing maritime, offshore, and shipbuilding workers. Operates the same federation-of-unions model as TTD, with affiliated unions and policy advocacy on a single transportation mode.
• North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU): Sister AFL-CIO trades department representing construction craft unions. Operates with the same federation model as TTD, focusing on infrastructure construction labor and apprenticeship policy — directly relevant to TTD's construction/manufacturing segment.
• AFL-CIO: The umbrella labor federation under which TTD operates as a constituent trades department. AFL-CIO represents 60+ unions and 12.5M+ workers, structurally identical to TTD's federation-of-unions model, and is TTD's parent organization.
• Change to Win: Alternative labor federation of unions including the Teamsters and SEIU. Operates as a competing federation model to AFL-CIO and shares with TTD the role of coordinating multi-union policy advocacy.
• Strategic Organizing Center: Federation of four large unions (Teamsters, SEIU, UFCW, UNITE HERE) operating outside the AFL-CIO framework. Functions as a structural peer — a labor federation coordinating policy and bargaining across multiple unions.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: One of the largest transportation-related labor unions in North America, representing freight, warehouse, and logistics workers. A direct peer as a transportation-labor advocacy organization with overlapping membership bases.
• Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO: Sister AFL-CIO trades department representing metalworking, manufacturing, and shipyard unions. Uses the same federation-of-unions structure as TTD and overlaps on the manufacturing/construction policy agenda.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ttd_affiliated
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transportation-trades-department-afl-cio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO