Just over 100 on-board attendants for Brightline Florida, including workers in Orlando, have begun the process of unionizing with the Transport Workers Union, an international labor union that represents more than 155,000 workers across the airline, railroad, transit and related sectors in the United States.
It's a historic effort by the workers in a state that is generally considered hostile to labor unions, and where less than 5 percent of the private sector workforce has union representation.
“Today, Brightline workers begin the path forward to protect and advance the economic security of their families,” said union president John Samuelsen in a statement released Thursday. “We thank them for putting their trust in us,” he continued.
According to the Transport Workers Union, a majority of the lead attendants and on-board attendants for Brightline Florida, who work on the Orlando-Miami line, have signed cards in support of unionization, submitted to the National Mediation Board Thursday morning. The National Mediation Board is an independent agency of the federal government that manages labor relations within the railroad and airline industries.
Brightline Florida workers, who Samuelsen says began self-organizing in the last several months, are asking Brightline to honor their desire to unionize by granting voluntary recognition of their union. Doing so would then allow them to begin the process of bargaining a union contract. If Brightline opts not to grant them recognition, the union will move forward with an election process.
“The TWU is committed to winning industry-leading contracts that deliver wages, benefits and quality-of-life improvements,” said Samuelsen, a Brooklyn native who formerly worked for the New York Transit Authority himself, before climbing his way up the leadership ladder of the union.
“Brightline has an opportunity to recognize the democratic will of their workers and recognize the TWU on the property as a union, and then work hand in hand to build Brightline in Florida,” Samuelsen told Orlando Weekly in a phone call Thursday.
Under Samuelsen's leadership as union president, the TWU has won over more than 15,000 new members who have opted to join the union in over 20 successful organizing drives, according to the union, which is also on a mission to defend jobs in the transit industry from automation and displacement.
According to Samuelsen, workers for Brightline Florida first began organizing themselves, before reaching out to the TWU about joining the union. Samuelsen noted “a really high amount of enthusiasm” among the rank and file, but added that workers at this time also still have concerns about retaliation from Brightline.
Even so, the union notes that they've had luck in talks with Brightline out west. Last year, the TWU was one of 13 labor unions that reached an agreement with Brightline West, representing a notable commitment by Brightline to use highly skilled union labor to help build and maintain the major high-speed rail project, connecting Las Vegas and Southern California. That 218-mile project is currently underway, funded in part by $3 billion in federal funds from the Biden administration's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Meanwhile, Brightline Florida — which runs a high-speed train line running from Miami to Orlando — first began offering its own high-speed rail service last September. The construction of Brightline's station in Orlando was officially completed last June, as part of a four-year project with construction of the line involving about 10,000 employees. The company also plans to expand its system with future stops in Tampa, Cocoa and Stuart on Florida's Treasure Coast.
“I think it really is a very pertinent point that if [Brightline] had a friend in TWU, or they had a willing ally, a partner in TWU, that we would we would be able to dramatically improve their chances of advancing Brightline, both in terms of stability and financially,” said Samuelsen, who told Orlando Weekly that they've also been in talks with other Brightline workers, not just the on-board attendants. “I hope they make that choice, and I hope they don't make the choice to engage in a war.”
The union, which also represents workers for major airlines like Southwest in Florida, shared that they recently secured a record wage increase for on-board workers at Amtrak, covering about 360 on-board workers along the Northeast Corridor.
Ben Porritt, senior vice president of Brightline, told Orlando Weekly in a statement over email, “We enjoy a strong and open relationship with our Brightline team and recognize their right to explore representation Our goal is to continue providing the best workplace experience for all teammates, allowing for career and individual growth.”
This story has been updated to include comment from Brightline and to remove mention of Walt Disney World (where some of the employees are represented by the Transportation Communications-Union (TCU), not TWU).
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It's a historic effort by the workers in a state that is generally considered hostile to labor unions, and where less than 5 percent of the private sector workforce has union representation.
“Today, Brightline workers begin the path forward to protect and advance the economic security of their families,” said union president John Samuelsen in a statement released Thursday. “We thank them for putting their trust in us,” he continued.
According to the Transport Workers Union, a majority of the lead attendants and on-board attendants for Brightline Florida, who work on the Orlando-Miami line, have signed cards in support of unionization, submitted to the National Mediation Board Thursday morning. The National Mediation Board is an independent agency of the federal government that manages labor relations within the railroad and airline industries.
Brightline Florida workers, who Samuelsen says began self-organizing in the last several months, are asking Brightline to honor their desire to unionize by granting voluntary recognition of their union. Doing so would then allow them to begin the process of bargaining a union contract. If Brightline opts not to grant them recognition, the union will move forward with an election process.
“The TWU is committed to winning industry-leading contracts that deliver wages, benefits and quality-of-life improvements,” said Samuelsen, a Brooklyn native who formerly worked for the New York Transit Authority himself, before climbing his way up the leadership ladder of the union.
“Brightline has an opportunity to recognize the democratic will of their workers and recognize the TWU on the property as a union, and then work hand in hand to build Brightline in Florida,” Samuelsen told Orlando Weekly in a phone call Thursday.
Under Samuelsen's leadership as union president, the TWU has won over more than 15,000 new members who have opted to join the union in over 20 successful organizing drives, according to the union, which is also on a mission to defend jobs in the transit industry from automation and displacement.
According to Samuelsen, workers for Brightline Florida first began organizing themselves, before reaching out to the TWU about joining the union. Samuelsen noted “a really high amount of enthusiasm” among the rank and file, but added that workers at this time also still have concerns about retaliation from Brightline.
Even so, the union notes that they've had luck in talks with Brightline out west. Last year, the TWU was one of 13 labor unions that reached an agreement with Brightline West, representing a notable commitment by Brightline to use highly skilled union labor to help build and maintain the major high-speed rail project, connecting Las Vegas and Southern California. That 218-mile project is currently underway, funded in part by $3 billion in federal funds from the Biden administration's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Meanwhile, Brightline Florida — which runs a high-speed train line running from Miami to Orlando — first began offering its own high-speed rail service last September. The construction of Brightline's station in Orlando was officially completed last June, as part of a four-year project with construction of the line involving about 10,000 employees. The company also plans to expand its system with future stops in Tampa, Cocoa and Stuart on Florida's Treasure Coast.
“I think it really is a very pertinent point that if [Brightline] had a friend in TWU, or they had a willing ally, a partner in TWU, that we would we would be able to dramatically improve their chances of advancing Brightline, both in terms of stability and financially,” said Samuelsen, who told Orlando Weekly that they've also been in talks with other Brightline workers, not just the on-board attendants. “I hope they make that choice, and I hope they don't make the choice to engage in a war.”
The union, which also represents workers for major airlines like Southwest in Florida, shared that they recently secured a record wage increase for on-board workers at Amtrak, covering about 360 on-board workers along the Northeast Corridor.
Ben Porritt, senior vice president of Brightline, told Orlando Weekly in a statement over email, “We enjoy a strong and open relationship with our Brightline team and recognize their right to explore representation Our goal is to continue providing the best workplace experience for all teammates, allowing for career and individual growth.”
This story has been updated to include comment from Brightline and to remove mention of Walt Disney World (where some of the employees are represented by the Transportation Communications-Union (TCU), not TWU).
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