Transport Workers Union – America’s Fighting Democratic Union

America’s Fightback Union

The Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO represents more than 155,000 members across the airline, railroad, transit, university, utility, and service sectors of the economy. We also represent tourism, school bus, and bikeshare workers. We are flight attendants, baggage handlers, ramp agents, mechanics, bus operators, conductors, trackworkers, car cleaners, call center workers, double-decker tour bus drivers, Central Park horse-carriage drivers, and more.

Legendary firebrand Michael J. Quill, and other dedicated organizers, founded our union in the NYC subway in 1934 when workers suffered with poverty wages, unsafe working conditions, and horribly abusive work rules. That history inspires us today as we aggressively fight to advance the livelihood and quality of life of working people of all races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs – and confront new technology threatening the very existence of blue-collar America. We are United Invincible, America’s Fightback Union.

TWU in the news

July 31, 2025

TWU Calls Out NYC’s Transit Authority For ‘Gross Mismanagement’ and ‘Evil Scheme’

International President John Samuelsen and Local 100 Pres. John Chiarello ruthlessly excoriated New York transit officials Wednesday, for failing to give thousands of workers who were injured on the job their workers’ compensation checks on time. “My most vulnerable members are not being paid, on account of gross mismanagement by the MTA,” Chiarello told the…

July 29, 2025

TWU Strongly Opposes Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Merger

Billions for Wall Street while workers get shafted The Transport Workers Union of America strongly opposes the planned merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern and urges federal regulators, lawmakers, shippers, and unions to block the deal. “Union Pacific has a shameful safety record and was caught by the federal government trying to…

July 26, 2025

A Call to Arms is Coming

International President John Samuelsen and Local 100 President John Chiarello told transit workers in NYC that a contract fight is brewing with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Samuelsen and Chiarello addressed a large group of Local 100 members at the Quill Depot in Manhattan, named after The TWU’s founder and legendary labor leader Michael Quill

July 24, 2025

TWU wants tax deduction for all workers

Congress granted hourly workers a new tax benefit, but the language is flawed. It inadvertently excludes millions of workers, including airline and railroad employees. The TWU is leading the charge to fix that.

July 21, 2025

PrimeFlight Fuelers in Orlando Unanimously Ratify First TWU Contract With 15 Percent Raise

The Transport Workers Union of America successfully negotiated a first contract for PrimeFlight Fuelers working at Orlando International Airport – locking in a 15 percent raise and replacing a management-controlled paid time off system with guaranteed sick and vacation time. The contract was approved by a unanimous vote on July 21 and will go into effect…

July 21, 2025

TWU Tech Newsletter: Waymo Expands to NYC, Philly

This is the monthly edition of the Transport Workers Union’s Transportation Technology Newsletter. We aim to inform and educate our members, the labor movement, the public and policymakers about developments in transportation technology – and what the TWU is doing to ensure that new technology doesn’t undermine safety or harm the livelihoods of hard-working blue-collar…

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