With the bicameral introduction of the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and U.S. Rep. Jesús García (D-IL), along with a host of cosponsors, seek to boost pay, benefits and overall labor standards for service workers at federally funded airports.
“Working people are the engines of our economy, and they’re rising up to demand the dignity and compensation they deserve for their essential labor,” Markey said. “Airport service workers have kept Americans moving safely through two years of a global pandemic, so as our airports begin to recover, we can’t let the status quo fly. My legislation demands that any airport that receives federal funding puts its own workers in first class by fairly boosting their benefits and wages. From baggage handlers at Boston Logan to cleaners at Houston Hobby, hundreds of thousands of airport service workers across the country are long over-due for a raise.”
The legislation would both up minimum wage and benefit levels at all federally funded airports and improve the overall quality of airports. According to studies cited by the bill’s authors, fair compensation to airport service workers has been shown to improve airport services and security by lowering turnover rates and guaranteeing veteran workers in place during emergencies.
“Airport workers risked their own health and the safety of their families to keep America moving during the pandemic,” García said. “The least we can do is ensure they have good wages, decent benefits, and safe working conditions. Poverty wages don’t fly, and our legislation ensures that airport workers nationwide get the same benefits and wages that workers fought for and won at Chicago’s airports and others across the country.”
Under the terms of the legislation, small, medium and large hub airports would be restricted from federal funds unless they meet prevailing wage and benefits laid out by the Department of Labor. This would even apply to vendors working therein. Those that put in the work, though, could gain access to $11 billion in airport funding each year, including $3.2 billion in Airport Improvement Grants and $4 billion in funds provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law).
The effort has been endorsed by major labor groups, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Transportation Workers Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Unite Here and more. It was co-sponsored in the Senate by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with eight other senators, and in the House by 35 other representatives.
“Airports keep us all connected, and it’s airport workers that keep our airports running. Yet right now, a worker’s ZIP code and background determine whether they can support their family,” Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU, said. “Congress has the power to ensure that the billions of public dollars that fund airports annually serve WE the people, not airline CEOs and shareholders.”