WHEREAS, The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 requires states to develop and administer knowledge exams and driving tests to all commercial motor vehicle drivers by April 1, 1992, and;
WHEREAS, Transportation Trades Department affiliates represent many workers in various states who will be affected by this new testing procedure, and;
WHEREAS, Transportation Trades Department affiliates are determined to ensure that exams are fair and do not discriminate against current commercial vehicle operators, and;
WHEREAS, In order to ensure readiness and fairness in the testing programs, some Transportation Trades Department affiliates have set up conferences and training programs, such as AFSCME Council #13 in Pennsylvania which has worked cooperatively with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and;
WHEREAS, AFL-CIO affiliates have designed training manuals for use with members who will be required to pass the new test. AFSCME has a training manual already developed and disseminated to its affiliates, and;
WHEREAS, the use of conferences, manuals, and training sessions can be a valuable tool for organizing the unorganized as evidenced by the overwhelming participation of Indiana state workers in AFSCME sponsored training workshops,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department:
- act as a clearinghouse and share materials developed to assist Commercial drivers;
- develop and conduct seminars and training sessions in concert with affiliates; and
- become actively involved in any administrative rulemaking procedures relating to this Act.