Newark Airport Wage Bill Advances In New Jersey

NEWARK, NJ — A potential law to raise wages and ensure adequate benefits for workers at Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal is on its way to Governor Chris Christie’s desk.

The bill, S-3226, would enact the “Safe Transportation Jobs and Fair Employment Rules Act,” or the “STAFER Act,” which would set a minimum wage and compensation rate for subcontracted transportation center service workers and food service workers at the three facilities, according to a joint statement from its sponsors, Senator M. Teresa Ruiz and Senate President Steve Sweeney.

The State Assembly approved the STAFFER Act earlier this month by a vote of 51-23-1. The Senate approved it on June 26 by a vote of 23-15.

It now heads to the governor’s desk.

The bill would base the minimum wage on federal and state rates of pay for specific workers – currently set at $17.98 an hour, plus $4.27 in benefits, paid vacation and certain holidays.

Read the full bill here.

“This is a great day for me and the thousands of other Newark Airport workers who have been fighting for respect, a living wage and benefits,” said Steven Leone, a PrimeFlight cabin cleaner who cleans United Airlines planes at Newark Airport. “For far too long we’ve been relegated to a life of poverty and endured difficult working conditions at the airport. We have now have hope that our dream for a better life could be close at hand.”

FIGHTING FOR A LIVING WAGE

Workers at Newark Airport have been vocal about their demand for a living wage, and have been holding protests at the busy transportation hub for years, gaining the support of elected officials such as New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, New Jersey Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

Some of the workers, including employees of airline subcontractors such as PrimeFlight Aviation Services, have said that they make just $10.20 an hour, not nearly enough to raise a family.

• See related article: Fight For Living Wage Continues At Newark Airport
• See related article: United Airlines Announces Record Profit, Workers Protest Low Wages

Currently, workers at the Port Authority’s New Jersey facilities make about $21,000 per year, even though their peers at New York’s airports and transport hubs earn $15 per hour due to the state’s higher minimum wage, according to a joint news release from Sweeney and New Jersey Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, the primary sponsors of the STAFER Act.

“The men and women who work at Newark Airport, Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal shouldn’t have to work at poverty wages,” Ruiz said. “This is about fairness and providing employees who work hard every day with a livable wage.”

“The current wage scale for New Jersey employees at these transportation centers undervalues the vital work they do every day to keep our airports and transit facilities safe, clean and operational for those who depend on them,” Sweeney said. “We can’t sit back and allow this injustice to continue. Employees at these facilities are often the first to respond to dangerous situations and help ensure the safety of passengers. They deserve decent wages and benefits.”

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