The Transport Workers Union’s Future Leaders Organizing Committee and Working Women’s Committee both held meetings this month and the gatherings included critical lessons for budding TWU leaders around the country.
The Working Women’s Committee met in Los Angeles, where attendees listened to leaders from Local 591, who hosted the event, about the importance of representing all members fairly in grievance and mediation sessions.
“Management is not your friend” said Local 591 Vice President Pete Caruso.
Caruso and Local 591 President Gary Schaible talked about the importance of educating union members about being vigilant when communicating with management – anything said or written down by a member during a dispute can end up in official channels leading to discipline or termination.
Working Women’s Committee members spent a day hearing from Local 591 leaders and psychotherapist Irma Maldonado-Enriquez, who stressed the importance of using diet, proper sleep and exercise to improve your physical and mental health.
Working Women’s attendees also visited American Airlines’ maintenance facility at Los Angeles International Airport. Members took part in a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility.
More than a dozen women working at the maintenance facility shared their experiences of working a in a male-dominated field, with some departments having only one or two women out of more than 100 workers.
The tour included a demonstration of a baggage ramp and a parked Airbus A321 plane and saw the avionics and engine up close.
The Future Leaders Organizing Committee met in Washington, DC and heard from TWU lawyer Holly Olivia-Van Horsten about the history and importance of safety laws and regulations. Attendees recounted safety issues they have encountered in the workplace like hot school buses that cause fatigue for children and drivers, poorly maintained equipment, a lack of safety glasses in the workplace and an uptick of unruly passengers on board planes.
TWU International President John Samuelsen, TWU Administrative Vice President Mike Mayes and TWU Aviation Director Andre Sutton were in attendance. Samuelsen addressed the group of future TWU leaders and told them that fighting the bosses and corporations is necessary, while maintaining a positive work environment internally is essential for becoming a good leader.
Olivia-Van Horsten reminded the attendees that safety issues especially can generate widespread public attention, and TWU locals and the International have found success when showing the public through fightback campaigns that safety is at risk. A recent example of this strategy in action is the successful campaign to stop the offshoring of aircraft maintenance jobs when Congress included language in the recent FAA bill that makes offshoring the work significantly more expensive for airlines.
