NYC Ferry Captains Join Transport Workers Union
Over 120 ferry captains voted to join TWU, aiming to bolster contract negotiations with the city.
More than 120 New York City ferry captains have voted to join the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), a move the union hopes will strengthen its position in future contract negotiations with the city.
The captains, who operate vessels across the NYC Ferry routes on the East River, Hudson River, and New York Harbor, cast their votes on Friday to become part of the TWU. This expansion into maritime services follows ferry technicians and welders who joined the union in August.
TWU International President John Samuelsen stated that the captains voted to join the union "in the face of an aggressive and concerted anti-trade union campaign by the employer, Hornblower." He added that the union's goal is to organize all job titles and crafts within the NYC Ferry system, asserting that "industrial trade unionism is the pathway to worker empowerment."
Hornblower, a private company contracted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation to operate the ferry service, employs the captains. The TWU already represents workers in other transportation sectors, including air, bus, subway, and rail lines.