But after Melenchon came top in the Toulouse constituency hosting the aerospace company in France's presidential election, it is a seat his new left-wing alliance is targeting as it seeks to deprive President Emmanuel Macron of a parliamentary majority in the votes on Sunday and June 19.
But he warned that record-high inflation and the surging cost of living - a theme that cost Macron points in the presidential election - were still hurting. After his strong showing in April's presidential election, Melenchon, a hard-left populist, has sought to carry that momentum over to the parliamentary elections, forging the alliance deal and urging the French to"elect prime minister".
But as elsewhere, it has created a two-speed city, riven by inequalities between the people in well-paid aerospace jobs and those struggling to make ends meet. Demonstrating as part of the healthcare protest, Florence Druol, a 37-year-old nurse who drives around the city to take care of her patients, says that is why she will vote for Melenchon's candidate.