Governor Kathy Hochul intervened to help settle a labor dispute between Teamsters Local 553 and Allied Aviation Services, a private firm that services planes at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens during Memorial Day weekend. The union representing 300 workers and mechanics had been working without a new contract since June 30, 2023, and had planned to go on strike, potentially disrupting travel plans for many New Yorkers.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey oversees the JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports. Governor Hochul, along with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, appointed the leadership that runs the bi-state agency. Governor Hochul personally intervened in the negotiations, calling Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton and urging the parties to reach a resolution to prevent the strike. She expressed her commitment to ensuring that New Yorkers’ holiday weekend plans would not be disrupted by the potential strike.
The agreement reached between Teamsters Local 553 and Allied Aviation Services not only averted the planned strike but also ensured that air travel at JFK Airport would not be interrupted during the holiday weekend. The union expressed satisfaction with the tentative deal and hoped that it would be ratified by its members. However, the union declined to disclose the details of the contract until it had been approved by its membership.
A spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expressed satisfaction that the union and the company had reached a tentative agreement to resolve the labor dispute. However, Brian Xavier, the general manager for Allied Aviation Services at JFK airport, declined to comment on the matter. Overall, Governor Hochul’s intervention and the subsequent agreement between the union and the company prevented potential chaos and inconvenience for passengers traveling through JFK Airport during the busy Memorial Day weekend.
