Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Air Ambulance Crews in Nevada and California Join TWU

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Flight nurses and flight paramedics in northern Nevada and California voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU).

Employed by REMSA Health, these air ambulance crews regularly perform intense, high-risk rescues in remote areas. The newly minted TWU members cited inadequate compensation and exclusion from important decision-making processes as core motivators for organizing. Despite an aggressive anti-union campaign by management, medical workers are energized and ready to bargain for the fair wages, quality benefits and respect they deserve.

“These critical first responders no longer have to fight their callous and dismissive bean-counting bosses alone,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen.

“REMSA’s union-busting actions failed miserably during this campaign,” TWU International Organizing Director Angelo Cucuzza said. “I hope, for their sake, the consultants they hired were on a contingency basis. The rehashed garbage they put out brought more workers to the TWU’s side, proving once again the boss is usually the best union organizer.”