TWU Local 591, in coordination with the TWU International, secured a huge victory for their members in New York and New Jersey, both of which are currently experiencing some highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.
International Executive Vice President Alex Garcia and International Administrative Vice President Mike Mayes played an integral role in assisting New York and New Jersey. Both are working to ensure that the legislators, airlines, and companies the TWU represents, recognize that our members are deemed essential workers, just like healthcare workers.
While Garcia and Mayes are in no way diminishing the extreme role that healthcare workers are in, they are fighting daily for the PPE the TWU also believes is necessary to protect our frontline members. While we recognize the delicate balance our members play in this pandemic, we are constantly working to make sure that none of our members are unnecessarily exposed.
International Vice President Gary Peterson noted that Local 591 President Gary Schaible is working through the dynamics of getting as many of his members off each day with pay, as possible.
Schaible’s concern for his local’s members is unwavering. While the process is a little less complex on the aircraft maintenance side, since they can more easily predict the manpower needed, it is still a heavy lift.
On our material logistics specialist side, this can be a more difficult process, since they are the supply chain for the airline and the lifeblood not only for TWU members, but all employees at the airline.
As PPE and other supplies for the airline arrive, our MLS members continue to ship, receive, and deliver this desperately needed equipment throughout the airline’s network.