Catherwood LibraryILR School

Workers at three of New York City area?s largest airports have taken steps toward joining unions after three years of demonstrations. The workers? main concerns are low pay and lack of or insufficient benefits. The workers are employed by the four largest airlines at JFK International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and La Guardia Airport. The unions looking to organize the workers have already begun collecting signature cards and are in the process of confirming how many workers authorized union representation now. Thus far, the Port Authority of New York and the Port Authority of New Jersey as well as the major airlines involved have taken a ?wait and see? approach to the organizing drive. Unionizing airport workers is difficult because it is often required to take place at an airline company level, rather than a regional or local level, but the SEIU is planning to challenge that legal precedent.