Largest Airline Union Adds Orlando Fuelers, Looks To American Talks

Aug 13, 2026 02:36 AM - 1 hour ago 2

The fast-growing Transport Workers Union has organized Orlando International Airport craft fuelers and mechanics, arsenic employer Menzies voluntarily recognized the union.

TWU President John Samuelsen said the nickname is the latest move successful the union’s thrust to enlistee members. TWU is the largest national successful the hose manufacture pinch astir hose 80,000 members. It is besides among the country’s fastest increasing unions, pinch astir 165,000 members, up from astir 130,000 successful 2017, erstwhile Samuelsen took agency arsenic world president.

London-based Menzies is the world’s largest aviation services provider. The institution was not instantly disposable to comment. Menzies and PrimeFlight, a Texas-based aviation support company, some supply statement fueling operations for awesome airlines successful Orlando. Menzies

“We organized PrimeFlight fuelers a twelvemonth agone and we sewage a statement almost correct away,” Samuelsen said Wednesday successful an interview. “They said to the Menzies fuelers astir the coagulated triumph we achieved and 1 point led to another.” PrimeFlight fuelers sewage a 15% salary raise, picnic salary and guaranteed sick time, TWU said.

Contract talks pinch Menzies person not yet been scheduled. “We will proceed to spot distant arsenic champion we tin and get a salary summation astatine Menzies,” Samuelsen said.

The activity groups are comparatively small. Menzies has astir 60 fuelers and mechanics successful Orlando, while PrimeFlight is somewhat larger.

However, Samuelsen noted that successful the past week alone, TWU has gained astir 400 members, pinch successful organizing drives for 220 municipal workers successful Brick Township, NJ and for astir 60 New York City diesel mechanics.

TWU is besides poised to summation astir 1,000 formation attendants successful the Allegiant/Sun Country merger. It already represents the 2,000 Allegiant formation attendants, arsenic good arsenic 23,000 formation attendants astatine Southwest; 7,000 formation attendants astatine JetBlue and respective 100 astatine Atlas Air.

TWU is champion known for its practice of 40,000 New York City subway workers and for its activity of American Airlines’ 30,000 fleet workers and mechanics, who are jointly represented pinch the International Association of Machinists. About 18,000 are fleet service. Their statement talks “are successful a very preliminary stage,” Samuelsen said. “We’re prepping for the adjacent round, which will footwear disconnected successful January.”