TTD establishes Willis Award, elects new leaders

Transportation Trades Department AFL-CIO (TTD) leaders this week established the Larry Willis Leadership Award to honor the late union president.

Willis died in November 2020 of injuries he sustained in a biking accident. He was 53.

The award will be given annually to a public servant or community leader who demonstrates commitment, dedication and advocacy on behalf of transportation workers, TTD officials said in a press release.

Over a 20-year career, Willis helped establish TTD's policy leadership and raised the bar for demanding and enforcing worker protections through the nation's transportation system, union officials said.

Also this week, Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger were unanimously elected president and secretary-treasurer, respectively, by the organization's Executive Committee.

TTD’s Executive Committee also discussed the organization's priorities — including federally mandated COVID-19 workplace protections, emergency transportation funding and long-term infrastructure investment — with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.