Catherwood LibraryILR School

A new report by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education shows that over approximately the past decade total employment in the air transport industry has declined, outsourcing has increased from 19% to 26%, and average real wages has fallen by 15%. These findings signal the lack of viability that airports hold to bolster the declining U.S. middle class. The researchers suggest that measures to increase the minimum wage in airport communities, like the measure considered by the city of Seatac in Washington state, may improve local economies as well as the operations of the airports. Some of the metrics the researchers tied to increased wages are declines in turnover, increases in customer satisfaction, and stability in passenger volumes. The report was financed by the Service Employees International Union.