Newark Airport Workers Hope For Better Shake Under Murphy

NEWARK, NJ — Will workers at Newark Airport get a better shake when Governor-Elect Phil Murphy takes over for Chris Christie? That’s what employees at the busy New Jersey airport hope for in the new year, according to local labor leaders.

Last week, dozens of airport workers showed up en masse at the Port Authority’s board meeting, less than a month after they urged the new members of the board to use the “new political climate” that will come with the Murphy-Christie transition to bring higher wages and better benefits to workers at Newark Airport.

Workers are calling for wage on par with their peers at LaGuardia and JFK Airports, who earn $13 because of the higher state minimum wage in New York. Some airport employees in Newark earn as little as $10.20 an hour, union leaders with 32BJ SEIU said.

Union representatives said that their members at Newark Airport still have a bad taste in their mouth about Christie’s recent veto of a bill that would have raised workers’ wages to about $18 plus benefits.

• See related article: Christie Vetoes Pay Raise For Newark Airport Workers

In contrast, Murphy – an ex-Goldman Sachs executive who saw heavy campaign contributions and several endorsements from labor groups during the 2017 election – has said that unions are the “primary door through which so many of us walked into the middle class.”

Murphy’s campaign website notes that he has “appeared before the Port Authority to protest their unwillingness to provide fair wages to workers at Newark Airport.”

The fight for a “living wage” at Newark Airport has been years in the making. The Dec. 7 action was only the latest in a series of labor-related rallies that have recently been held at the airport in support of higher salaries and better working conditions.

• See related article: Fight For Living Wage Continues At Newark Airport
• See related article: Airport Workers Demand $15 An Hour, Rally In Newark

“I hear the struggles of individuals and working families, including those who work in our airports, each day as a pastor,” the Rev. Timothy Graff, of the Archdiocese of Newark attested during Thursday’s Port Authority board meeting.

“It’s immoral to pay people $10.20 an hour – so little that they struggle to afford basic needs like food, decent housing and healthcare,” Graff said.

Christina Watson, a part-time security officer at Newark Airport, said that the low wages she’s paid have her “really, really struggling” to make ends meet.

“I live with my parents in Newark to save on rent,” Watson said. “But I help them with utilities and other bills. So the $525 I make every two weeks is gone within a day of getting my paycheck. About $400 is spent on bills, including utilities, and $70 goes to my monthly bus card. I used to have a car when I worked full-time, but ever since my hours were cut back, I can’t afford it.”

Newark resident Demetrius Lucky, a baggage handler who has worked at the airport for 11 years, said that he takes immense pride in his work, but after paying $1,300 for an apartment he shares with his teenage daughter, buying $100 worth of food every week and paying $59 a month to catch the bus to work, he’s lucky to have $50 left over to save for emergencies.

“By helping us earn a dignified salary, you’ll also be able to retain more of your long-term employees,” Lucky implored Port Authority board members.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page here.

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: 32BJ SEIU