Twelve civilian workers who provide safety services at Pease Air National Guard Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, have formed a union that will be part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
The workers are employees of Flight Safety Services Corp., a company that works on the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus military aerial refueling and transport plane.
According to a press release from the Maine AFL-CIO, these employees provide critical safety services, including fixing flight simulators that train air crews and simulators that teach workers how to load and fuel airplanes.
The Flight Safety workers will soon begin forming a bargaining committee to negotiate a contract with the company. The Machinists represent more than 5,000 workers in the public and private sector throughout Maine and New Hampshire.