TWU at American Airlines

TWU has been representing workers at American Airlines since 1946, just two years after the union had launched a massive organizing campaign at the carrier. The drive at American was initiated immediately after organizers had stunned the nation when they succeeded in winning an overwhelming victory among maintenance and ground service personnel at Pan American World Airways, then the largest carrier in the world.

Prior to the TWU, American mechanics were represented by an independent group called the Airline Mechanics Association  (ALMA), a company union that proved completely ineffective in protecting its membership.

TWU worked closely with an in-house group of mechanics to bring real union representation to American. After an intense campaign, TWU won elections by huge 3 to 1 margins not only covering maintenance but fleet service and stores as well. Today, TWU is the exclusive bargaining agent for more than 30,000 workers at American in numerous classes and crafts.

In the decades since our initial victory, 's leadership, bolstered by a united and determined American Airlines membership, has historically negotiated pace-setting agreements covering wages, benefits, pensions, job security guarantees and other conditions of employment.

This strength enabled our Union and our members at American to weather the upheaval in the industry brought on by airline deregulation. During the decade of the 80's deregulation sent 150 commuter, regional and national carriers tumbling into bankruptcy. Another 51 carriers were swallowed up by mergers or hostile takeovers. By 1986, 15 national independent carriers had dwindled to six. Between 1990 and 1991, more than 38,000 airlines workers lost their jobs.

But TWU members at American not only survived, we have prospered. Our union and our members made difficult decisions during the 1980's and 90's for the long-term preservation of our jobs and our security.

As a result, our security is not only intact, but we are thriving. TWU intends to keep it that way. But as has been our history at American, our strength depends on our membership's unity.

Whenever we have been forced to strike American over the years, TWU has sustained the strike by ourselves. We have never had to depend on union coalitions or the uncertainty of support from other unions on American's property to achieve our goals.

The lessons of the decade of the 80's have demonstrated over and over again that if a union calls a strike against an airline, it had better be able to hold the strike together by itself or face certain defeat.

TWU has the strength and ability to back ourselves at American. It is our job as members of TWU to support our union to keep this close-knit family of TWU members united. Our union was built on democracy, honesty, strong leadership and solidarity. We intend to keep that record intact. And we know that each of our members will play his or her role to keep us all moving forward.