ATLANTA — The 90 workers who operate and maintain the Plane Train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have ratified their first union contract, the Transportation Communications Union/International Association of Machinists announced July 17. They had voted to join that union last August.
The five-year agreement includes an immediate 18% wage increase, followed by 3% annual increases, five paid sick days and holidays and more. It also establishes seniority rights, a grievance procedure and other union rights.
“We didn’t back down,” one of the Plane Train workers told this Militant worker-correspondent. He asked that his name not be used. “It was a longtime coming, way overdue. The contract is good. It’s a start.”
The Plane Train carries about 250,000 passengers daily between terminals. The company is run by French rail manufacturer Alstom.
“What made this bargaining especially successful was the solidarity the members maintained from start to finish,” TCU/IAM National President Matt Hollis told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.