Minimum wage bill for airport workers gives some hope during stressed travel season
A minimum wage bill called "Good Jobs for Good Airports Act" might give hope to airport workers who were poorly compensated even before the pandemic and its chaotic aftermath resulted in understaffed working conditions at a time when pent-up travel demand has increased. The bill would ask that the minimum wage for US airport workers, including those who work for contractors, be raised to $15 an hour, be provided with paid time off and at least $4.60 an hour toward health insurance. Currently, many airport workers - who work an assortment of duties ranging from wheelchair assistance to cleaning plane cabins in ten minutes - work below minimum wage, with no paid time off and few benefits, with health insurance often being unaffordable and out of pocket. Airlines and airports have often relied on contractors to source employees, with the contractor who offers the lowest bid on labor often winning the bidding war. The bill was met with approval by many of the U.S's largest transportation unions.
See "Minimum wage bill for airport workers gives some hope during stressed travel season", Michael Sainato, The Guardian, June 23, 2022