Union Representing Newark Airport Workers Ratifies New Contract

NEWARK, NJ —A committee representing 32BJ SEIU, the union representing more than 10,000 service workers at Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract for the union workers on Wednesday afternoon, 32BJ SEIU confirmed. Negotiations had lasted over three months, and the agreement means a strike has been averted.

According to a release, the contract is set to give airport workers guidelines for implementation of the Healthy Terminals Act, which will provide workers with health insurance with no monthly co-premium. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Healthy Terminals Act on April 29, and it will go into effect in New Jersey on Sept. 1.

The new union contract also will offer improved health and safety guidelines and increased protections against discrimination on the job.

"Our bargaining committee worked tirelessly to achieve this strong new contract, and we are happy to see that the hard work paid off," said Kyle Bragg, 32BJ SEIU president. "Airport workers play a key role in our post-pandemic recovery. After a year that was defined by calls for racial justice and the safety of our essential workers, this contract will propel our airports to a recovery that puts working people first."

The new three-year contract also gives labor management committees greater access to information about health and safety guidelines from the CDC, Department of Health, and OSHA regulations, and allows them to review policies pertaining to PPE, social distancing, contact tracing and other procedures, the union said.

Also, according to 32BJ SEIU, its members are "mostly-Black and immigrant airport workers," and the new contract provides protections against discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles closely associated with racial, ethnic or cultural identities such as braids, locks and Afros, the group said.

The bargaining committee also successfully preserved MLK Day as a paid holiday, which is widely regarded as a major victory in the airport workers' fight for racial justice.

The contract, which expires on February 28, 2024, also includes extension of recall rights for workers laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This contract not only addresses our current needs, but also sets 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 and a member of the bargaining committee. "For airport workers, healthcare justice is a racial justice issue. As we continue to keep the airports running, having healthcare, discrimination protections and the affirmation that essential workers are valued is going to allow us to move forward, rebuild and lift up our families and communities during this recovery and beyond."

Airport workers represented by 32BJ SEIU include contracted passenger service representatives, cabin and terminal cleaners, baggage handlers, security officers, wheelchair attendants and skycaps, working for 23 airline contractors, according to the union.