According to the New York Post, workers at John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport in Queens plan to go on strike on Friday.
Workers who refuel planes at JFK Airport are planning a strike to coincide with the start of a busy Memorial Day weekend. according to to the New York Post. This can cause significant confusion for travelers. The strike includes 300 members of Teamsters Local 553, including workers and mechanics who service both commercial and cargo jets at JFK Airport. The union is at an impasse with Allied Aviation Services, the private company that provides these services.
JFK airport refueling workers plan to strike over Memorial Day weekend https://t.co/vnc7LwoFNd pic.twitter.com/eOmVZD4u2h
— New York Post (@nypost) May 23, 2024
The Teamsters Chapter 553 labor dispute began after the collective bargaining agreement expired on June 30, 2023. The media reported that the union last went on strike in 2005 over pay and health insurance issues and is currently embroiled in contract negotiations. Allied Aviation is reportedly demanding that the union waive the right to strike in future agreements, a condition the union has rejected. (Related: Asian airports remove JFK from list of busiest ports)
“We have not had a contract for almost a year and Allied Aviation is not negotiating in good faith because they are making a new contract contingent on us giving up our right to strike and our right to fight for our members in the future. This is simply not acceptable to us,” Demos Demopoulos, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 553, said in a statement, according to the New York Post. “We will never give up the right to strike and the right to fight for our members that is given to us by the National Labor Relations Act.”
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 23: Travelers walk with luggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on December 23, 2023 in New York, New York. (Photo by Gina Moon/Getty Images)
Unions have successfully resisted similar demands in past disputes, such as at Newark Airport. According to the New York Post, JFK Airport serves as a major hub, especially during the holidays, and the possibility of a strike poses a major challenge. Seth Stein, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages JFK Airport, said they were coordinating with airport partners to minimize disruption.
“We are working closely with our airport partners to minimize disruption to travel during this busy weekend.” “I was not involved in any of the negotiations,” Stein said.
