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One hundred fifty union aircraft fuelers will vote to strike today after negotiations stalled while working on an expired contract, Teamsters Local 174 confirmed.

The aircraft fuelers work for Swissport, a company that provides airport ground services. These workers help fuel several airlines, including Alaska, American, Delta, and United.

Negotiations have taken place over the last two months, but are now at a standstill. The workers are seeking a pay raise, a place to park for work, lockers, a clean space to eat meals, and the opportunity to wash off jet fuel from their clothes at the end of their shift.

“The group of Teamsters Local 174 members work in the critical role of aircraft fuelers in a grueling and safety-critical job, and without their labor, a majority of the aircraft passing through SeaTac International Airport would be left without a way to get fuel,” said Jamie Fleming, the director of communications and research for Teamsters Local 174.

Swissport is the largest provider of airport ground services in the world, netting €3.7 billion in revenue last year.

Striking is a ‘last resort’

“A strike is always a last resort, and that is especially true in an industry like this one where a strike would cause hardship for so many people,” Teamsters Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks said. “However, that decision ultimately lies with Swissport management, who has a responsibility to come back to the bargaining table with an offer that respects our members. They work a physically demanding job in every type of weather, and Swissport’s success is entirely built upon their backs. If Swissport does not get serious about this contract, our members will be voting on Tuesday on whether to strike.”

A similarly-sized group of aircraft fuelers working for Swissport, many of them immigrants, voted to strike in 2018, but they never made it to that stage before earning a new contract.

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