Airport Workers In NJ, NY Join National Day Of Protest

NEWARK, NJ — They’re the ones who handle your baggage. They clean the cabins of the planes you ride in. They’re janitors … wheelchair assistants … lift truck drivers.

And they’re at the end of their ropes, advocates say.

Employees at Newark Airport have been fighting hard for their rights on the job, and it’s been paying off with some big victories over the past few years, including one of the highest minimum wages in the U.S. But all across the nation, other airport workers are fed up and demanding change, and they have support from their peers in New Jersey, one of the East Coast’s largest service worker unions says.

On Wednesday, workers at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airport joined a national day of action that took place in more than 20 cities. Workers and their supporters gathered at airport terminals and airlines’ corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco and Washington D.C. with a message for corporate executives: “Take real steps to address poverty level pay and the lack of worker protections.”

At Newark, JFK and LaGuardia – which are managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – labor unions including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Unite Here have been leading the charge for better wages and working conditions. And they’ve been winning, spokespeople say.

Some key wins over the past years have included a groundbreaking minimum wage hike that will reach $19 per hour by 2023, as well as passage of the Healthy Terminals Act, which gives better health care to front-line airport workers, improves health and safety guidelines and increases protections against discrimination.

• Read More: Airport Workers Win 'Highest Min. Wage In US' After Long Battle
• Read More: NJ Healthy Terminals Act Takes Off; Gov. Signs Health Care Bill

Despite the gains they’ve seen in their own workplaces, workers at the three above airports haven’t forgotten about their peers across the nation who haven’t been as fortunate.

“We have fought hard and prevailed,” said Dayshon Beeks, a lift truck driver at Newark Airport and a member of the SEIU 32BJ bargaining committee.

“We will no longer have to worry about choosing whether to seek medical care or feed our families,” Beeks said. “We can now face the future and continue to strengthen our families, our communities, and ourselves.”

“All airport workers should have the same protections,” Beeks urged.

“Our contract addressed not only our present needs, but also set us up for a future where we can avoid many of the devastations we faced during this pandemic,” said Venice Russell, a cabin cleaner at JFK who also took part in Wednesday’s rally.

“As the pandemic unfolded and the world shut down, travel was one of the hardest hit industries. Billions of federal dollars fell into the hands of the airlines, but not the workers themselves,” continued Russell, a member of the bargaining committee.

“We are here to support airport workers around the country because for airport workers, having health care, paid time off, discrimination protections, and the affirmation that essential workers are valued is a matter of justice,” Russell said.

• Read More: COVID Bailout Is For People, Not Stocks, NJ Congressman Tells Airline
• Read More: United Airlines Outsources Catering In Newark, Other US Airports

Wednesday’s rally targeted several airlines, including American Airlines, United, Delta and Jet Blue, who were asked to sign a pledge that would commit them to:

• Acknowledge that airlines have the ability and responsibility to end poverty-wage jobs and inequality through the system
• Ensure the billions of public dollars airlines receive annually serves the public good, not just shareholders and executives
• Set a minimum wage and benefit standard guaranteeing all workers are paid living wages and provided affordable, quality healthcare and paid time off
• Respect workers’ right to join together in a union
• Ensure contracts with airport service providers meet the airline’s wage and benefits standards and encourage contractors to be neutral when workers organize a union

“For decades, as airlines have consolidated into larger corporations, they have squeezed workers by contracting out essential jobs to a broad array of smaller companies in an attempt to dodge accountability for the workers who keep their systems running,” SEIU 32BJ spokespeople said in a statement.

“At the same time, they’ve accepted billions in public dollars and operate out of airports that receive public funds — all while decreasing quality of service for travelers across the country,” the union claimed.

“Even though we have been victorious in New York and New Jersey, there is still a lot to be done,” President Kyle Bragg said.

“Airport workers play a key role in our post-pandemic recovery,” Bragg said. “After two years defined by calls for racial justice and the safety of our essential workers, it is time to create nationwide standards. By signing the pledge, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta and Jet Blue have the power of change the lives on thousands of workers nationwide and propel our airports to a recovery that puts working people first.”

• See related article: 2,500 NJ Security Guards Fight For Raises – And Get Them
• See related article: NJ Nurses Push For Hazard Pay, 'Safe Staffing' Amid Pandemic
• See related article: Rutgers Faculty May Merge Unions; Their Contracts Expire June 30

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