Transit
TWU Tech Newsletter: Robots Come for the Ramps
Posted OnJuly 1, 2026 byHumanoid, robot baggage handlers are undergoing a trial run at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, according to the Guardian and CNBC, with the Chinese-made robots performing baggage handling and cabin cleaning duties. The publications note that Japan Airlines, which operates flights to and from the United States, is facing labor pressure from an aging domestic workforce. But the robots are currently unable to perform many tasks on the job that require dexterity.Read More…
TWU Local 1 Bus Workers Vote 269 to 1 to Authorize a Strike
Posted OnJune 30, 2026 byEnough is Enough. TWU Local 1 bus workers vote nearly unanimously to give leadership the power to call a strike. Members are irate at how they’ve been mistreated by the bosses who have offered a three-year contract – with two zeros, higher healthcare costs, and other insults.
Negotiations resume tomorrow, but leadership can now call a strike.Read More…
Battle in Ohio
Posted OnJune 10, 2026 byTWU Local 1 is united like never before in opposition to a horrific contract proposal. They are fighting back with the International providing expertise and resources. A possible strike looms.Read More…
TWU Tech Newsletter: A Victory in Congress for Workers Over AVs
Posted OnMay 27, 2026 byThe bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill introduced by Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) is a massive win for workers fighting to preserve jobs and increase safety as autonomous vehicle technology develops beyond robotaxis to transit buses, motorcoaches, school buses and other commercial vehicles, TWU International President John Samuelsen said.Read More…
Workers’ Victory Over Autonomous Vehicles
Posted OnMay 18, 2026 byAs autonomous vehicle technology spreads, proposed federal legislation that the TWU helped craft protects the employment of Bus Operators and School Bus Drivers. The Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill, introduced last night, May 17, 2026, sets the first federal guidelines for AV technology as Big Tech looks to expand beyond robotaxis to transit buses, motorcoaches, and school buses.Read More…
Scholarship Winners Announced
Posted OnMay 7, 2026 byThe Transport Workers Union has conducted its annual scholarship drawing, and 32 winners have been randomly selected for a monetary award, International Executive Vice President Alex Garcia announced today, May 7, 2026.
The winners will receive a combined $112,000 to help pay for college. Recipients of the TWU’s Michael J. Quill scholarship will each get $4,800 over four years of their continuing education, totaling $72,000. Another $40,000 in scholarships is being provided by four sponsors.
The list of winners is here: scholarship infoRead More…
TWU Activists Takes the Hill
Posted OnMay 7, 2026 byMore than 150 TWU activists and officers lobbied on Capitol Hill on May 5 to build support for federal legislation that would benefit union members and their families – including a bill that would allow all overtime earners to pay less in federal income taxes.
This is a top priority for us,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said. “We are laser-focused on the economic security of our members, and this legislation would save working families thousands of dollars a year.”Read More…
Read the Spring 2026 Express!
Posted OnApril 22, 2026 byRead about Amtrak executive bonus payments being redirected to workers, the Transit Division tackling technology, the new Local 578 contract – and more.
Other features: The TWU’s charitable tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the TWU member who responds to calls of stray dogs, trespassing raccoons, coyote pups – and even urban alligators.Read More…
TWU Tech Newsletter: Waymo No Mo in NYC (For Now)
Posted OnApril 14, 2026 byThis 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…Read More…
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Mechanics Vote to Join the TWU
Posted OnApril 9, 2026 byMechanics at the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail in New Jersey voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to join the Transport Workers Union of America, fulfilling the TWU’s goal of wall-to-wall industrial trade union organizing. All workers at the privately-operated NJ Transit light rail system are now part of the TWU. “The TWU knows that worker power comes from…Read More…