Massive Outpouring For MLK Day Rally At Newark Airport (VIDEOS)

NEWARK, NJ — Hundreds of airport workers, elected officials, clergy members, union leaders and local residents marched at Newark Airport on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, rallying in support of “good jobs,” fair wages and health benefits for employees at the busy international airport.

The march came a day before Phil Murphy’s swearing-in as the new governor of New Jersey. With the departure of Chris Christie – who recently vetoed a bill that would have raised workers’ wages at Newark Airport and Hoboken Terminal – there may be new life in the fight for a living wage at EWR, union leaders say.

On Monday, Governor-Elect Phil Murphy, who received massive campaign contributions from organized labor in the days leading up the election, offered a statement in support of the workers at Newark Airport.

“I am proud to stand with all workers who demand a stronger and fairer New Jersey economy that works for every family,” Murphy said. “We honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of fighting for justice – a legacy kept alive by airport workers fighting for a fair wage.”

• See related article: Newark Airport Workers Hope For Better Shake Under Murphy

Millie Perez, a terminal cleaner at Newark Airport, said that with a new governor friendly to their cause, workers have a fighting chance to win better jobs and benefits.

“I’m proud to be marching with our brothers and sisters at the airport as a celebration of Dr. King’s legacy,” Perez said. “I hope the Port Authority hears our call and takes a stand for good airport jobs.”

Although workers at the Port Authority’s airports at JFK and LaGuardia earn $15 per hour because of state wage law, their counterparts in Newark – many of whom work for companies such as PrimeFlight that contract for the major airlines – earn as little as $10.20 per hour, union leaders say.

• See related article: Fight For Living Wage Continues At Newark Airport

Elected officials that joined Monday’s rally included U.S. Senator Cory Booker, State Senators Teresa Ruiz and Joseph Cryan, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, NJ Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Newark Council President Mildred Crump, Newark Councilmen Luis Quintana, Anibal Ramos and Joseph McCallum, Union County Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados, Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen, Elizabeth Council President Manny Grova and Elizabeth Councilman Nelson Gonzalez.

“We are marking the beginning of 2018 and a new day for airport workers and a new day for the Port Authority to stand up for good jobs for contracted workers at our airports,” said 32BJ SEIU President Hector Figueroa. “We march on MLK Day to honor his legacy as a fierce fight for racial justice and economic justice and we say it’s time to give airport workers the respect and dignity they deserve on the job.”

• See related article: Airport 'Job Outsourcing' Bill Would Protect Workers, Senators Say
• See related article: United Airlines Announces Record Profit, Workers Protest Low Wages

State Sen. Ruiz praised the workers at Newark Airport and offered support for their quest for a living wage.

“This is about fairness and providing employees who work hard every day with a livable, family-sustaining wage,” Ruiz said.

“We demand that every American worker – no matter if they’re Haitian, Salvadorian, African, or Irish – deserves dignity and respect,” Sen. Booker said during the rally. “Martin Luther King, Jr. understood that there can be no civil rights, there can be no women’s rights, there can be no justice in our country without economic justice. We will stand together, and work together, and fight together, and if we have to we will bleed together.”

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Photos: SEIU 32BJ

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