The struggle for health care and other benefits continues for airport workers
In the cold days of January 2014, Hector Figueroa, president of 32BJ-SEIU, joined with this newspaper in launching the Fight for Fair Pay Campaign on behalf of tens of thousands of women and men doing hard work for little in return at our airports.
From handling bags to handling mops, from standing guard to pushing wheelchairs, they were employed not by the Port Authority which runs the airports, nor the airlines, but by private contractors.
The goal was three-fold: decent wages, paid holidays and health-insurance coverage, all of which, shamefully, they lacked.
With support from Gov. Cuomo, and after years of effort, they received well-deserved raises, now $15.60 an hour and climbing to $16.20 in September on the way to $19 by 2023. In fact, it was airport workers’ pay hikes that led to raising the minimum wage for all.
However, the other two goals have not been achieved. After winning Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday, there have been no others and little gains on health care, with thousands having to be on Medicaid, even amidst a pandemic.
So now Albany has passed the Healthy Terminals Act setting a standard for health coverage equal to $4.54 an hour beginning in September 2021. The goal is correct; the virus-induced collapse of air travel and industry finances complicate matters. We pray there’s a major rebound by next year, otherwise there will be a lot fewer jobs at the airports.
Figueroa died a year ago. His quest for fairness continues.
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