Philadelphia, PA – Mayor Jim Kenney, Local 32BJ SEIU, and American Airlines announced Aug. 29 that two of the airline’s subcontractors had agreed to negotiate a first union contract with their 1,400 workers at Philadelphia International Airport. The workers at PrimeFlight Aviation and Prospect Airport Services, who include baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, aircraft cabin cleaners, and skycaps, had voted overwhelmingly in April to join 32BJ, but the two companies had refused to bargain. “Many of us have been fighting for this for four years or longer,” said baggage handler Alfred Williams. “We voted for a union, we fought for our wages, and now all of our hard work has finally paid off.” Most of the airport’s 20,000 workers are union members, but those who don’t work directly for airlines have been excluded. The subcontractors’ employees got as little as the state minimum wage of $7.75 an hour plus tips until a city living-wage ordinance brought them up to $12 in 2015. Mayor Kenney commended American Airlines “for helping to broker negotiations between SEIU and their subcontractors.” Read more
