TO: Air Division Locals
FROM: Andre Sutton, Director, Air Division
RE: Convention Appointments

It has been a month since our extraordinarily successful TWU 27th Constitutional Convention and where our Air Division made enhancements to our extended team. We were pleased to offer positions on the TWU International Executive Council and Board to several local officers and were graciously accepted. Our Air Division Staff wishes to welcome all the following current and newly installed:

Vice Presidents: Victor Gonzalez Local 501, Andre Sutton Local 502, Greg Cosey Local 513, Dale Danker Local 514, Benyoel Morgan Local 527, Thom McDaniel Local 556, Gary Peterson Local 591

Executive Council: Robert Payne Local 504, Tim Hughes Local 507, Juan Elvira 512, Kevin Smith Local 525, Tony Slavings Local 555, Kristina Peterson Local 556

Executive Board: Gary Gill Local 502, Marla Johnson Local 514, Kevin Thurston Local 550, Dan Chriss Local 555, Jean Pierre Loregnard Local 555, Tyler Cluff Local 555, Allison Head Local 556, Rollie Reeves Local 567, Luis Rodriguez Local 568, Dan Rivera Local 570, Moisley Pawa Local 571, Enrique Guzman Local 575, Christa Gifford Local 577, Gary Schaible Local 591, Brian Bourbeau Local 592

Departments: Training-Mitch Leiberman Local 568, Civil and Human Rights-Shirley Duff Local 555, Organizing-Angelo Cucuzza Local 501, COPE-Andrew Rangolan Local 570, Sean Doyle Local 512, Klarissa Principe Local 577, Veterans Committee – Jose Galarza Local 570, Matt Hettich Local 556, Special Project-Bill Clark Local 513, Special Project-Rich Rivera Local 591

We also extended a special project assignment to assist the Training/Organizing/Human and Civil Rights Departments to former president Randy Barnes, Local 555.

Please join us in welcoming these outstanding TWU members to their expanded roles when the opportunity presents itself.

TWU International President John Samuelsen and his entire slate were reelected by acclamation on Tuesday at a historic Transport Workers Union of America convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Samuelsen and his nationwide slate of officers also ran unopposed four years ago at the previous convention, marking an unprecedented pair of wins in the TWU’s proud history. Legendary labor leader Michael J. Quill and other transit workers in New York City founded the TWU in 1934.

“This is a remarkably strong endorsement of our leadership team and how we operate this union,” Samuelsen said. “We run smart, strategic, and aggressive campaigns to secure good contracts and to organize unrepresented workers into the union, and we win. We’re not at all afraid to fight greedy international corporations, soulless Wall Street hedge funds, and the wannabe dictators leading major transportation authorities. We thrive on it. We’re laser-focused on advancing the livelihood of blue-collar workers, and there’s no greater calling than that.”

The TWU’s 27th Constitutional Convention, which started Monday, is also the largest gathering in TWU history. The TWU has grown tremendously since Samuelsen first took office in 2017. The union added more than 31,000 new members, bringing the current total to 163,000. Hundreds of delegates are participating.