We Want $25 Per Hour, Newark Airport Workers Demand At Rally

NEWARK, NJ — More than five years ago, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey raised the minimum wage at its airports to $19 an hour – the highest in the nation at the time. Now, with rent and housing costs skyrocketing across the Tri-State Area, it’s time to hike it again, workers at Newark Airport say.

On Tuesday, dozens of unionized airport service workers affiliated with 32BJ SEIU gathered for a rally outside Terminal C of Newark Airport. Their demand? Raise wages for thousands of airport workers to $25 per hour by 2030.

The Port Authority runs the area’s three major airports in New Jersey and New York: Newark Airport, LaGuardia and JFK. In 2018, the agency greenlighted a plan to increase the minimum wage at these airports over a period of five years – ending at $19 in 2023.

A Port Authority official said the hike to $19 would also benefit travelers at the airport by reducing staff turnover, leading to “better trained and observant employees.” The move impacted nearly 40,000 baggage handlers, security officers, wheelchair agents, terminal/airplane cleaners and other airport workers.

• Read More: Airport Workers Win ‘Highest Min. Wage In US’ After Long Battle
• Read More: Climb To Nation’s Highest Minimum Wage Begins At NJ, NY Airports

Workers at Newark Airport also got a boost in 2021, when the state Legislature passed a law that helps defray their health care costs and sets a prevailing wage schedule. See Related: NJ Healthy Terminals Act Takes Off; Gov. Signs Health Care Bill

But since then, prices of everyday necessities have been shooting through the roof, and it’s getting harder to make ends meet. And airlines aren’t feeling the same pinch as their workers, advocates say.

According to a statement from the union, airlines like American, Delta and United – among others – have seen substantial multi-billion dollar profits in the past year. See Related: No More ‘On The Fly Refunds’: NJ Lawmaker Pushes For Permanent Changes

Last week, the Port Authority announced that the agency’s commercial airports saw a record 32.4 million passengers in the first quarter of 2024. Last month also marked the second-busiest March on record for the agency’s commercial airports.

Meanwhile, employees making minimum wage get stuck with the dirty work, advocates say.

Fatiah Marrow, shop steward of the United Lounge at Newark Airport, said that the job of cleaning up an airport isn’t easy – or for the faint of heart.

“As cleaners, we are front-line essential workers on call for the most unpleasant tasks,” Morrow said. “We constantly have to perform hazardous tasks like cleaning vomit and blood, and we are exposed to needles without the proper tools to keep us safe.”

It doesn’t help that airport employees are being overworked, Morrow alleged.

“When my employer is low on staff, one cleaner is expected to do double the work: cleaning the entire club, taking out garbage, sweeping and wiping down,” Morrow said.

• See Related: ‘Overworked, Underpaid’: Flight Attendants Picket At Newark Airport

And getting a second job to help pay the bills? That’s easier said than done, Morrow continued.

“Even if I or one of my coworkers wanted to take on a second job to save some money or afford an apartment, who’s to say our schedules will align with a second job?” the airport worker explained, pointing out that they have to bid for a schedule every six months and there’s no way to know if their shifts will remain the same.

The workers were accompanied at their rally by Newark Councilman Pat Council, who joined their call for the Port Authority to “raise standards, stabilize airport workforce and increase traveler safety.”

Other attendees included Tanjanina Reynolds, a cabin cleaner lead at Newark Airport.

Reynolds said that after her fiancée was deported a few years ago, she’s struggled to live on $19 an hour as a single mother.

“Inflation is rising every day rent has gone up,” Reynolds said. “Food is expensive, and it's hard to get through the week.”

“I was at the Port Authority Board meeting last week, they were celebrating all the awards they received for Terminal A and talking how air traffic is going up at Newark Airport,” Reynolds said. “That's all great – but we want a piece of it.”

• See Related: Surprise – Newark Airport Is Among Nation’s Best, New Ranking Says
• See Related: Bigger, Better $2.7 Billion Terminal At Newark Airport Unveiled (VIDEO)

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