Tech Supervisors at the New York City Ferry voted unanimously Thursday to join the Transport Workers Union of America, the culmination of a hugely successful first organizing wave at the property that also saw Ferry Captains along with Technicians and Welders join the TWU in the last three months.
“This is a complete and total victory for the TWU, organizing every work title, wall-to-wall at NYC Ferry, building worker power with industrial trade unionism,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said. “Workers at the NYC Ferry are well on their way to being fully unionized with additional organizing efforts underway.”
The NYC Ferry workers are primarily based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and work for the contractor Hornblower. The ferry service launched in 2017 and operates six routes and one seasonal route. The TWU is the first union on property at NYC Ferry.
The TWU now represents hundreds of workers at NYC Ferry and is now focused on organizing Deckhands, who have reached out to the TWU about joining. Work on a first contract for the Tech Supervisors, Ferry Captains, and Technicians and Welders is now underway.
The TWU continues to grow on land, air, and sea in New York State. MTA subway and bus workers, Citi Bike workers, PATH, Metro-North Railroad Workers, Port Authority Workers, school bus drivers, and thousands of airport workers in the NYC area are all part of America’s Fightback Union.