A planned strike by fuel workers at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens over Memorial Day weekend was averted after Gov. Kathy Hockal stepped in to resolve the labor dispute, The Washington Post has learned.
Teamsters Local 553, which represents 300 workers and mechanics who refuel commercial and cargo planes at the airport, announced a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with Allied Aviation Services, a private company that maintains aircraft at local airports.
The union has been working without a new contract since June 30, 2023, and is planning a strike on Friday, the first day of Memorial Day weekend, which could leave unrefueled planes stranded on the tarmac.
It wasn’t just a threat: the union went on strike in 2005 in a dispute over compensation and health care.
According to a source close to the negotiations, Hokell called Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton directly to urge the parties to break the impasse, and his office has also reached out to representatives of the Teamsters.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey oversees JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports.
Hawkle and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appointed leaders to run the bistate agency.
“New Yorkers are spending their hard-earned money on travel to see family and friends, and we won’t let their holiday weekend plans be disrupted,” Hawkle said in a statement to The Washington Post.
“We are pleased that an agreement was reached and the need for a strike was averted, and we look forward to the agreement being ratified by our membership,” said Demos Demopoulos, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 553.
The union declined to discuss details of the contract until it has been approved by its members.
A PA spokesman said: “We are pleased that the union and the company have reached a tentative agreement.”
Brian Xavier, general manager of Allied Aviation Services at JFK, declined to comment.
