Published 17 Jul, 2014
At the TWU International union hall in Washington, DC, TWU International leadership welcomes our newest union brothers, part of the TWU organizing team at Frontier Airlines. From left to right: TWU International Executive Vice President John Samuelsen, TWU International President Harry Lombardo, Frontier Airlines Ramp Service Agent Brian Fisher, Southwest Ramp Service Agent Jason Smith and fiance Amy Butman, TWU International Organizing Director Steve Roberts, and Transit Division Director Jerome Lafragola.
On July 10th, Ramp Service Agents at Frontier Airlines in Denver, CO voted decisively to join the TWU. The union organizing campaign at Frontier had been in full swing since December, after workers approached TWU Organizing Director Steve Roberts. Their chief concern became Ramp Service Agents’ rallying cry and the official campaign slogan: “We deserve job security!” Now, the union’s 400 new members in Frontier Airlines fleet service are poised to achieve it.
“It’s been a wild ride at Frontier over the past few months,” the organizing committee told Ramp Service Agents in an email announcing the election results. “Each of us had a decision to make about what kind of future we want for ourselves and our families.”
“As fellow Ramp Service Agents, we are proud to say that we all stuck together and made the best possible decision — for union representation with the Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO.”
TWU Organizing Director Steve Roberts (far left) stands in front the election results with members of the Frontier Airlines Ramp Service Agent organizing committee at the offices of the National Mediation Board in Washington, DC.
TWU member and Southwest Ramp Service Agent Jason Smith, a former Frontier employee who helped advise the organizing committee, posted this message on Facebook congratulating Frontier Ramp Service Agents: “I am so glad that I could be a part of the organizing team for my former co-workers at F9 along with Southwest Union Rep Charles King, Frontier Ramp Agent Brian Fisher, and TWU Organizing Director Steve Roberts. Really proud of what we accomplished.”
In a meeting with Frontier Ramp Service Agents on Thursday, TWU International President Harry Lombardo told organizing committee members that the union’s first move would be to get new members at Frontier the training required to form an effective contract negotiating team with the resources to secure a solid contract at the airline.
“We welcome you to the TWU,” said Lombardo. “And we’re ready to support you, train you, and stick with you every inch of the way, so that Ramp Service Agents get the contract and the working conditions that you deserve.”
TWU Organizing Director Steve Roberts outlined the priorities for Frontier Ramp Service Agents moving forward. “During the campaign, we were fighting for what everyone at Frontier needs — that’s a solid contract with job security, representation if a member faces discipline or adverse action, and a voice on the job.”
A Look Back at the Campaign
Watch TWU’s Frontier Airlines organizing videos on our YouTube channel by clicking here.