Cargo Workers Strike At Newark Airport Over 'Unfair Labor Practices'

NEWARK, NJ — For Osaugue Aibangbee, known to his co-workers as “Bazoo,” it’s all about respect. And that’s why he decided to walk off the job alongside dozens of other Swissport Cargo workers at Newark Airport.

Late Wednesday night, workers launched a one-day strike at the airport that continued into Thursday with a series of picket lines and rallies. According to labor union 32BJ SEIU, Aibangbee and his peers are accusing the Switzerland-based company of “wage theft and unfair labor practices.”

Swissport manages an air cargo warehouse at Newark Airport. The global corporation has been serving airlines there since 2013, according to its website.

A spokesperson for Swissport told Patch that the company denies the workers’ unfair labor practice allegations, fully complies with applicable labor regulations, and provides “competitive wages and benefits.”

“In all the cities we operate in the United States, Swissport fully complies with operating permit requirements,” the company said. “The health and safety of all our employees is the highest priority for Swissport, as evidenced by our Best-in-Class record.”

But according to 32BJ SEIU, tensions are boiling over between the company and its workers at Newark Airport. Here’s why, spokespeople said:

“Earlier this year, 35 Swissport Cargo workers at Newark International Airport filed a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) alleging that the company failed to pay the $4.60 per hour health and welfare supplemental benefit defined in the New Jersey Healthy Terminals Act. The Healthy Terminals Act, which went into effect in September of 2021, requires employers at Newark International Airport to contribute $4.60 per hour (later raised to $4.80/hour) towards the cost of health insurance for their workers, or else to pay the workers an additional $4.60 (now $4.80) as part of their wages. The NJDOL is currently investigating the complaint. Additionally, in October 2022, SEIU 32BJ filed unfair labor practice charges against Swissport Cargo Services, L.P., alleging that the company coercively interrogated employees who supported forming a union, as well as retaliated against a union supporter by allowing vandalism of her car in a company parking lot.”

In June, the union announced that Swissport workers at the airport have finally begun to see bigger paychecks as a result of the law. But it remains to be seen if all the affected employees have been paid what they’re due – and if the company continues to toe the line when it comes to the Healthy Terminals Act, a spokesperson told Patch.

• See related article: 300 Cargo Workers At Newark Airport See Long-Awaited Pay Boost

In the meanwhile, workers continue their attempt to unionize, according to 32BJ SEIU.

“The passage of the Healthy Terminals Act has greatly improved the working conditions for the predominantly Black and immigrant workers at the airport, who have been on the front lines of the pandemic since day one and have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic,” 32BJ Executive Vice President and New Jersey State Director Kevin Brown.

“The company was breaking the law and with the support of the union, the workers received some type of relief earlier this year,” Brown said. “But it is not enough. We continue fighting alongside them to see they are paid properly as well as put an end to unfair labor practices and retaliation tactics.”

“These tactics are not only illegal, but inhumane,” Brown alleged.

Brown didn’t get any argument from Aibangbee, who has been working in Swissport Cargo’s warehouses since 2014 as a forklift operator. Together with his peers, he sorts, packages and loads and unloads mail from trucks – including the holiday season presents that are already flowing through the airport.

“People rely on our work to get their holiday gifts to get to their loved ones, and we work hard during this busy time of year,” Aibangbee said. “We are fighting because we deserve to be paid fairly for our labor so we can provide for our families too.”

GOOD JOBS FOR GOOD AIRPORTS

As part of a separate national campaign, airport workers in 15 U.S. cities launched protests on Thursday to pass the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, a proposed federal law that would ensure airport service workers are paid local prevailing wages and have access to benefits such as paid time off and health care.

The workers taking part in the national rally included staff who clean planes, handle baggage, assist wheelchair passengers and perform other vital tasks at airports across America, 32BJ SEIU stated.

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