Workers at 15 U.S. airports are starting a 24-hour fast Nov. 24 to draw attention to what they say are low wages and difficulties in forming unions.
“On an average day, I move nearly 21,000 pounds worth of bags, and I am proud of the work I do every day to make sure passengers can get to their loved ones, but I only make about $8 an hour,” says Tranden Baccus, a baggage handler who works two jobs at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) for airline contractors Eulen America and PrimeFlight. “We are fasting for a good cause. I believe in $15 and union rights, and that’s what we need so we can care for our families and make sure the passengers are cared for the right way.”
The fast comes after airport workers at the U.S.’s seven busiest hubs went on strike for better working conditions. A number of elected officials and clergy leaders have lent their support to that cause.
“When someone works as hard as these workers, they deserve a livable wage that can support their families, decent benefits and the ability to represent themselves,” says Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Hillary Clinton, one of the Democratic presidential candidates, wrote a letter last month expressing support for the workers’ efforts.
“I’m proud to support you in calling for safe working conditions, decent benefits and fair wages for every airport worker in the country,” wrote Clinton. “Airport jobs should be good jobs and together, we can make sure they are.”
Some blame the conditions on the outsourcing of jobs to contractors. In September 2014, the Economic Policy Institute surveyed 500 subcontracted workers at John F. Kennedy International (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark Liberty International (EWR) and found that 50 percent of employees rely on some kind of public assistance.
“I provide much-needed assistance to disabled and elderly passengers to ensure they get on and off their flights safely,” says Karla Sanchez, a wheelchair attendant for airline contractor Aviation Safeguards at Los Angeles International (LAX) for the past nine years. “Customers expect to get off their flights and receive good customer service, but it’s hard for us to provide it because we are always understaffed. In some instances, four or five of us are expected to tend to 25 wheelchairs. I am fasting to demand that Aviation Safeguards respect our right to have our union.”
Workers in Atlanta; Chicago; Los Angeles; New York City; Denver; Minneapolis; San Francisco; Philadelphia; Boston; Newark, N.J.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Washington, D.C.; and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, are taking part in the fast.
