LAX passenger service workers rally for higher wages, better benefits

Passenger service workers at Los Angeles International Airport held a rally on Thursday, Dec. 8 to demand higher wages and stronger benefits.

The employees, represented by SEIU-United Service Workers West, clean planes, handle baggage, assist wheelchair passengers and provide security, among other duties. The union represents an estimated 2,500 employees at LAX.

The rally and march through the upper level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal was part of a “Day of Action” held at more than 15 airports nationwide in L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Phoenix, among other cities.

The union notes that that 45% of all domestic air travel in the U.S. goes through those major airports

Thursday’s rally came as the travel industry braces for its annual holiday surge.

They are also promoting the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, a bill recently introduced into Congress that aims to provide airport workers with improved workplace benefits.

The LAX workers are currently paid a base rate of $18.04 an hour, along health benefits of $5.77 per hour, or $23.81 an hour without benefits under L.A.’s living wage ordinance. An employee’s pay can be higher, based on experience and tenure.

But it’s not enough to keep pace with inflation and L.A.’s rising housing costs, according to Jovan Houston, who has been a customer service agent at LAX for five years.

“My rent goes up every year,” the 40-year-old L.A. resident said. “I have to do a little side hustle to make ends meet.”

Houston supplements her income working as a licensed cosmetologist. But if her 12-year-old son gets sick and has to go to the doctor, that’s a $100 copay.

“It’s a lot when you’re not expecting it,” she said. “And we also have to pay $60 a month for parking at LAX. We want free parking.”

LAX officials referred wage concerns to the airlines, as they directly employ the passenger service workers. Representatives with some of the various carriers could not be reached for comment Thursday.

SEIU-USWW President David Huerta said the workers should be earning a base salary of at least $25 and hour with healthcare benefits.

“We’re calling for the establishment of national standards across the country,” he said. “We want to raise the standards of all workers.”

The employees are also looking to secure the best healthcare benefits they can at the most affordable price.

Huerta said passenger service workers’ role at LAX and other U.S. airports is vital, as they have been considered essential workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The airlines have rebounded from the pandemic, partly because of the assistance they received from the federal government,” he said. “And looking toward 2023, the sky is the limit for these companies. We’re out to raise our standards.”

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the rebound in passenger traffic has already been substantial.

U.S. airlines carried 674 million passengers in 2021 — an 82.5% increase over 369 million passengers in 2020.

U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., who introduced the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, praised airport employees when the legislation was unveiled in June.

“Airport service workers have kept Americans moving safely through two years of a global pandemic, so as our airports begin to recover, we can’t let the status quo fly,” he said. “My legislation demands that any airport that receives federal funding puts its own workers in first class by fairly boosting their benefits and wages.”

The legislation would prevent small, medium, and large hub airports from accessing federal funds unless airport service workers are paid the prevailing wage and benefits as established by the Department of Labor.

Source: Orange County Register