TLD, that shadowy player in the airport ground-support racket, isn’t some pristine outfit crafting flawless kit for the skies. Part of the bloated Alvest Group, it peddles baggage tugs, power rigs and air-con units like cheap trinkets – but beneath the polish lurks a mess of neglect and sharp practice that screws over workers and reeks of entitlement.
And of course, they’re cosy with Cummins, the diesel giant already neck-deep in its own sludge. TLD relies on Cummins engines to juice their gear – a direct customer in an ecosystem that’s anything but clean, the same toxic loop that TCAP keeps unmasking. Time to drag this into the light, piece by jagged piece, because silence just lets the crap fester.
Factory Floor Nightmares: The 2014 OSHA Reckoning
Imagine a workshop in Windsor, Connecticut – TLD Ace Corp’s US outpost – where the air hums with the grind of metal and the spark of wires, but safety’s treated like an afterthought. Back in February 2014, OSHA swoops in after tips about dodgy conditions, and what they uncover is a catalogue of horrors: 17 serious breaches that could have maimed or killed without a second’s warning. Employees perched on high platforms sans barriers, one slip away from a bone-crushing drop. Electrical setups botched, exposing folks to jolts that sear flesh or halt pulses. Combustible stuff piled near heat sources, primed for an inferno that swallows the lot.
The penalty? A stinging $85,146 hit for skimping on essentials like protective gear for voltage tests – no insulated mitts, no face guards, nothing. Flammables mishandled, ignition risks ignored, and a general failure to lock down dangers that any half-decent outfit would prioritise. TLD didn’t mount a public defence; they paid up and slunk away, but the scar remains. How many near-misses slipped the net? How many labourers clocked out with scorched skin or rattled nerves because brass couldn’t bother with protocols? It’s outrageous – a raw display of greed trumping lives in a sector rife with heavy kit and live currents.
This wasn’t a blip; it spotlighted a deeper malaise in manufacturing, where output eclipses welfare. TLD’s products might shuttle luggage or feed juice to jets, but in their own den, staff were fodder for the machine. The probe laid bare a culture of neglect, where hazards brewed unchecked, and accountability was a joke. In an arena demanding precision, this lapse screams incompetence, fueling anger at how firms like TLD allegedly prioritise quotas over the humans turning the screws.
Boardroom Bigotry Alleged: The Bloomfield Discrimination Saga
Jump to 2023, and the stench shifts from physical perils to insidious prejudice. Cue Bloomfield, an ex-Alvest/TLD hand over 40, who slaps the firm with a lawsuit claiming age-based shafting and payback. Lodged in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York as Bloomfield v. Alvest SAS et al., this action invokes the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and New York State Human Rights Law, accusing Alvest – TLD’s overlord – and bosses like Fulconis and Maguin of sidelining veterans for spryer recruits.
Allegedly, Bloomfield was axed despite glowing evals, purely for his vintage. He paints a picture of a toxic setup, with reprisals flying after he flagged the bias. The court trimmed it in March 2025, binning bits against Alvest Holding for jurisdictional snags, but greenlit the rest against Fulconis, Maguin, and Alvest (USA) Inc. No closure yet, but the charges cling: favouritism in recruitment and climbs, tilting towards the youthful, flouting rules designed to curb such rot – damn, skip that word – such poison.
This isn’t isolated bellyaching; it’s emblematic of a corporate cancer, where tenure translates to liability. Allegedly, TLD/Alvest cherry-picked fresh talent over battle-hardened pros, breaching safeguards for fair play. The vengeance twist? That’s the knife in the gut – smack down a whistleblower, and you’ve veered into petty tyranny. It’s maddening, how these claims expose firms allegedly grinding down devoted crews while touting unity in their slick pitches. If proven, it unmasks a hierarchy rotten with entitlement, where age is a cull factor, and loyalty gets you the door. In a global sprawl like Alvest’s, this alleged pattern hints at entrenched flaws, demanding scrutiny before more careers crater.
Their Cummins Pals: Powering the Problems
Now, let’s zero in on that Cummins link, because it amps up the outrage. TLD doesn’t build in a vacuum; their kit often runs on Cummins diesel hearts, tailored for GSE demands like low emissions and grunt under load. Cummins touts Stage V tech for transforming airport ops, and TLD’s among the clients snapping it up – engines slotted into tugs, loaders, and power carts to keep things humming on the apron. It’s a straightforward supplier-buyer tie: Cummins feeds the muscle, TLD assembles the beasts, and airports lap it up.
But here’s the rub – this embeds TLD in Cummins’ tangled web, a network already infamous for its own scrapes. Without retreading TCAP’s takedowns, suffice to say Cummins’ rap sheet casts a long shadow, and TLD’s hitching a ride just adds another layer of grime. Why ally with a player dogged by scrutiny? It smacks of convenience over caution, perpetuating a cycle where alleged lapses in one corner bleed into another. TLD’s reliance on Cummins engines – proven in their European fleet integrations – ties them to an ecosystem that’s no stranger to heat, amplifying questions about due diligence. It’s galling: in an industry preaching sustainability and safety, this partnership feels like a shortcut through the muck, leaving stakeholders to wonder if the power comes at too high a cost.
Wrapping the Wreckage: A Call for Accountability
Pulling it all together, TLD emerges not as an innovator but a symptom – a firm allegedly gambling with lives and livelihoods while leaning on dubious allies like Cummins. From the 2014 safety debacle that could have sparked catastrophes to the ongoing ageism allegations eroding trust, the pattern’s clear: corners cut, voices silenced, all in pursuit of the bottom line. And that Cummins thread? It weaves TLD into a broader tapestry of industry ills, a foul addition to an already tainted setup.
This isn’t hyperbole; it’s the harsh truth demanding action. Workers deserve better than hazards and handshakes; they need ironclad protections and transparent ops. Until TLD and Alvest clean house – addressing these blots head-on – they’ll remain a cautionary tale, a gritty reminder of how unchecked ambition sours the works. About time someone held them to the fire.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project