Passengers at Kennedy Airpo𒉰rt could face long delays today and throughout the holiday weekend, as the 300 union employees who refuel planes prepared to strike early this morning.
Demos Demopoulos, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 553, said workers overwhelmingly voted yesterday in favor of striking after receiving “a pathetic” three-year contract offer from Allied Aviation Services, the company that fuels the planes at JFK and maintains the airport’s fuel storage facility.
The previous contract expired at midnight.
Allied is expected to bring in replacement workers, but൲ it will take some time before they learn the ropes, and delays are 🎀expected.
“This is a big travel weekend, and it is my feeling that Allied Aviation won’t be able to find people to fuel planes as efficiently as our guys,” Demopoulos said.
Allied did not return calls.
Demopoulos claimed that the company had brought in supervisors from some 𒐪of the 21 other airports where the company refuels jets.
Port Authority spokesman Pasqua🌸ꦍle DiFulco declined to comment on the contract dispute.
He added that the PA “does not expect [a strike] will have significant impact” on departures.
The key iss🀅ues separating the union and Allied Aviation are sa🎶lary increases, health care and the pension package.