Following months rallies, airport actions and vocal advocacy across JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty, 32BJ SEIU, the union that represents 10,000 essential building service workers sub-contracted by airlines in the three airports, reached a major milestone for its airport members with the announcement by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey of a proposed plan to increase the Port minimum wage from its current $19/hour up to $25/hour in 2032.

On the heels of a robust 6-month campaign that saw thousands of 32BJ SEIU members at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty join rallies, lead airport actions and give testimony at Port Authority meetings, these workers – including cleaners, wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers and security officers among others – will now participate in the public comment period to urge adoption of the proposal.

Providing wage increases for these essential workers who keep airports safe, clean and customer friendly will help retain experienced and well-trained personnel at JFK, LGA and EWR, which combined reported their busiest year ever in 2023, with a total of 144 million passengers (13.5 million passengers in August alone), making them among the busiest airports in the world and exceeding the previous record set before the pandemic.

The proposal, to be officially introduced at the Port Authority’s November 14th board meeting and voted on at its December 12th meeting would increase the minimum wage from its current $19/hour up to $25/hour. Through a combination of annual raises and increases tied to the consumer price index, and an automatic adjustment to get to $25/hour by January 2032. This proposal builds off a 2018 minimum wage increase, advocated for by 32BJ SEIU members, by the Port Authority that brought wages up to $19/hour in September 2023 but did not provide for further increases.

“For years, 32BJ has been leading the fight to improve conditions for the thousands of essential workers that make our airports a safe, clean and world-class travel hub. We are very proud that our efforts have now resulted in a proposal by the Port Authority, with the support of Governor Murphy and Governor Hochul, to significantly increase wages and ensure that airport workers are fairly compensated for the vital services they provide. With airlines raking in record billion dollar profits, the family sustaining wages this plan will lead to is not only equitable but also what workers who keep our airports running have earned. This workforce investment will help the airports retain the experienced and well-trained personnel needed to safeguard the Port Authority’s critical infrastructure and deliver the highest caliber of customer service,” said Manny Pastreich, President of 32BJ SEIU.

While our local area airports have been busier than ever, airlines are making more money than ever, with American, Delta, and United airlines raking in multi-billion dollar profits. These profits can cover the cost of wage increases.

However, while airlines are booming, workers have been struggling without an adequate mechanism for wages to keep up with rising cost of living expenses. Research has shown that low wages are directly associated with high job turnover and less experienced workers which can negatively impact airport security, lead to more workforce accidents, and diminish quality of service for travelers.

“As a cleaner at LaGuardia and a proud member of 32BJ, I spend 40 hours each week cleaning almost everything in Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport. From bathrooms to floors, walls, chairs, windows, walkways, jet bridges, I’m part of the team that makes sure travelers can enjoy a clean and safe environment. But what I earn is not enough to support my family, pay my mortgage, electricity, gas, water, food, internet, cell phone, and I’ve had to take another job, where I work 19 hours a week cleaning houses just to make ends meet. I’m very grateful for my union’s work fighting for this wage increase and appreciate the Port Authority and Governors Hochul and Murphy listening and responding to our calls for fair wages,” said Sonia Marin, 32BJ member and cleaner at LaGuardia.

“Working as a security officer at JFK, I’m so proud to have fought with my union – 32BJ SEIU – to push for policy changes that will fairly and equitably increase wages for me and thousands of my co-workers. We worked hard for this and it’ll have a direct impact on my life. I struggle to find affordable housing with the low wages I currently get, so this wage increase will now help me afford rent, utilities, groceries and metro card expenses that I couldn’t keep us with. I’m so glad that people like me who help keep airports running everyday will now have fair wages for our efforts,” said Rosanna Glasgow, 32BJ member and security officer at JFK.

“In the last four years, the cost of living has gone up dramatically. Just about everything you could think of — groceries, utilities, transportation and housing. But my wage hasn’t caught up. We are an essential function of the Newark airport. Not only are these increases badly needed, they are a good step toward recognizing the hard work that we do,” said Fatiah Marrow, janitor at Newark International Liberty Airport.

###

With 185,000 members in 12 states and Washington D. C., 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country. The union represents over 100,000 building service workers in New York and New Jersey, including thousands at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty. 32BJ SEIU members hail from 64 different countries and speak 28 different languages.