Local 514 Swear In: Marla Johnson Elected First Female VP in Local’s History, Pg. 6 - First Ever Joint Presidents Council Meeting, Pg. 8 - The Best Maintenance & Related Contract in the Airline Industry, Pg.10 and more in this issue of the TWU Express,

Deterring Aircraft
Maintenance
Outsourcing

By International President John Samuelsen

aircraft repair and overhaul, bringing back good-paying, blue-collar jobs to the U.S. We have steadfastly fought the offshoring of maintenance taking on the issue in our contracts, in the halls of Congress, and out on the shop floor.

“This bill closes
the loopholes that
incentivize airlines
to move airline
maintenance out of
the country and onto
less safe standards.
When this becomes
law, it will return tens
of thousands of good,
union jobs to the U.S.”

In fact, the TWU has been the only union fighting back – and we are winning on all fronts. Our historic American Airlines contract, signed in 2020, includes provisions that bring back aircraft maintenance jobs that were outsourced overseas back to U.S. soil. We are the only airline mechanics’ union who has successfully rolled back outsourcing AND returned jobs to America.

But that only covers one airline.

In June of this year, we took a major step toward raising the standards for all airlines. The House committee that oversees the airline industry passed the bipartisan Global Aircraft Safety Improvement Act by an overwhelming margin. This bill closes the loopholes that incentivize airlines to move airline maintenance out of the country and onto less safe standards. When this becomes law, it will return tens of thousands of good, union jobs to the U.S. The next step is to move this bill through the whole House and Senate.

To support that work, we flew in 14 of our Aircraft Maintenance Technicians from all across the country – who also happen to be women – for a Lobby Day on Capitol Hill (see p. 14). These workers had the opportunity to sit down with elected officials and share  firsthand stories of working on aircraft that were flown in from maintenance facilities overseas. Often, these aircraft have serious problems, ranging from shoddy repair work to drugs and guns hidden in panels. It’s the responsibility of our members to ensure that these issues are rectified, so the aircraft can be safely returned to service and fly again, and it’s one TWU AMTs take very seriously.

Seeing this legislation signed into law would be a huge victory for the Transport Workers Union, and for all air travelers. It will make our skies safer for the flying public, cabin crews, and provide greater job security for all AMTs in the U.S. Five years into this fight, we are closer than ever to making it a reality. I’m so proud of all the great work our union is accomplishing. Every page of this issue features members who are stepping up, speaking out, and fighting fights for economic security and better workplace conditions. It’s happening all over the country – from the Right-to-Work south to liberal coastal cities.

Together we are achieving real change. Thank you for all that you do – for the union and in your communities.