The Transport Workers Union of America Retains Ridge Global to Assess the Safety and Security Risks of Having U.S. Passenger Aircraft Repaired and Maintained on Foreign Soil

First U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Says Airline Safety Must Remain a Priority 15 Years After Creation of DHS

The Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) today announced it has retained the services of Ridge Global, the firm founded by the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, to evaluate and assess critical repair and maintenance work performed on U.S. passenger aircraft. Specifically, the TWU has asked Sec. Ridge to examine whether the ‘off-shoring’ of such repair and maintenance to aircraft to foreign countries is putting the American flying public in danger.

“Mechanics and other ground workers employed at U.S. airlines have serious concerns that commercial airlines are putting profits ahead of passenger security and safety,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said. “That’s why we have asked Sec. Ridge and Ridge Global to determine if the practice of off-shoring aircraft repairs and maintenance to foreign countries is a catastrophe waiting to happen, as we fear. Mechanics and other ground workers employed at U.S. airlines take great pride in making the U.S. air transportation system the safest and most reliable in the world. We also have a very personal stake in doing things right. Our families fly on the planes we fix.”   Continue reading →

The newly elected leadership of TWU is pleased to announce that the four-year-long litigation regarding the legal validity of the Equity Distribution Plan adopted by TWU in 2013 has at last come to an end, because plaintiffs have not filed timely papers in the Supreme Court that would have been required to ask it to review the decision of the lower courts dismissing the Demetris case.

What this means is that the long delay in making a distribution from the TWU Reserve Fund to the beneficiaries of the TWU Equity Distribution Plan is coming to an end, and that TWU will now be able to arrange for a distribution of the monies derived from the American Airlines shares that have been held in the TWU Reserve Fund pending the conclusion of the litigation.

As the difficult preparations to distribute the proceeds from the original AA shares are being made, there are a number of things that you should keep in mind: Continue reading →

Hurricane Maria has left devastation across the island of Puerto Rico and we know many of you have family, friends and properties on the island. Our thoughts are with all of you while you get through this difficult time.

From Sept. 22 until Sept. 29, American Airlines will allow Envoy employees to move supplies and generators to SJU using the employee Priority Parcel Service (PPS) program from all U.S. domestic stations (lower 48). They will waive size and weight restrictions and there will be no shipping costs so that you can get your families what they need.

Download this flyer to read the details.

As our brothers and sisters in several states — and now in Puerto Rico — attempt to rebuild from the devastating hurricanes of the last several weeks, TWU is committed to supporting them. Working with local leaders on the ground in all affected areas, we are monitoring members’ needs and creating an action plan to ensure everyone gets the help they need. At this time, those wishing to help can continue to make donations to the TWU of America Hurricane Relief Fund, which will be distributed directly to union members in affected areas as needed.

If you would like to make a contribution to this fund, please click here.

If you prefer to make an offline donation, please mail a check or money order to:

TWU of America Disaster Relief Fund
c/o Gary Maslanka, Secretary-Treasurer
501 3rd Street NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20001

Dear Envoy Local Presidents:

As you likely know, in March of last year, TWU International filed a 20-D grievance with Envoy Air, citing the company’s violation of the Fleet Service, Operations Coordinators & Dispatchers and AMT & Related Agreements, including several specific letters and articles related to profit sharing. In the grievance, we argued that the company had told TWU International Repersentative Jose Galarza and several of you that post-American Airlines/U.S. Airways merger, they changed their accounting practices for reporting the profits and losses at their wholly owned carriers (Envoy, Piedmont and PSA), making Envoy a “cost center,” that would never show a profit. We also argued that as the official bargaining agent, we were never notified of this change, and that and Envoy underhandedly concocted these new accounting practices to avoid compliance with the terms of a negotiated provision in our collective bargaining agreements. We asked that the company make our members whole in every way, including profit sharing payouts, for the remaining years covered under each of these agreements.   Continue reading →