LOS ANGELES – Airport service workers, elected leaders, community leaders, seniors, passenger rights and disability rights advocates gathered today at LAX and SFO to launch a statewide effort to improve quality jobs, service and security at California’s top airports. There are an estimated 20,000 airline service workers in the state, a quarter are facing contract expiration dates this summer.
“The airlines can do a lot better to improve services to their airline passengers and airport security, while at the same time make these good jobs for our families and our communities,” said Fanny Fuentes, who provides wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and seniors. Fuentes, like most airport service workers, earns only $9.71 an hour and has no adequate individual or family healthcare. She is sometimes forced to use broken wheelchairs, and has been asked to push more than one passenger at a time, putting passengers at risk.
Some airports have more than 40 contractors servicing of airlines including security officers, wheelchair assistance, sky caps, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, janitors, ramp and cargo crews -- without adequate oversight or accountability on critical matters such as training, equipment, security clearances, identification badges or access to restricted areas of the airport.
“The failure of the airlines to establish professional standards among airport service work has created a race to the bottom and fuels a turnover rate rivaling that of the fast-food industry, sending quality jobs, services and security into a tailspin,” said Mike Garcia, President of SEIU Local 1877, the airport service workers’ union.
CRISIS IN AIRLINE SERVICE INDUSTRY
Low wages and lack of healthcare are driving a turnover rate among airport service workers that is as high as 50% per year in some jobs negatively impacting service and security at CA airports. Statewide, airport service workers such as security officers, janitors, passenger service workers, cabin cleaners, ramp and cargo crew, on average, earn less than an estimated statewide average of $10.50 an hour, with some earning as low as $8 an hour, putting them well below what the Economic Policy Institute says it takes for a family of four to survive in California, or $54,000. Some airport service workers earn as little as $8 an hour with no access to healthcare for themselves or their families. High turnover in the industry prevent security officers and other passenger service workers from getting the experience and training they need to adequately protect and provide quality services to airline passengers.
“Airlines like American, United and Southwest and others are creating a crisis of inadequate training and equipment, low wages and lack of healthcare that is robbing airline passengers of quality service and security and is also robbing our communities of good jobs you can support a family on,” said Rev. Dr. Lewis E. Logan II, Senior Pastor Bethel A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles. Logan is a leader of the growing Reaching Higher Coalition of clergy, passengers, community and elected leaders in support of airport service workers efforts to improve the jobs and their communities by forming a union with SEIU.
PASSENGER, DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATES, SENIORS SUPPORT
The U.S. Department of Transportation received 13,766 complaints in 2006, the last year for which figures are available, against American, United, Southwest and other airlines from seniors and passengers with disabilities who report they are not receiving adequate, safe assistance when traveling with the airlines. Airlines are required to provide prompt and proper explaining and deplaning assistance for those with mobility impairments, and to ensure that their wheelchairs or other assistive devices are not damaged during flights, according to the Air Carrier Access Act.
“The airlines need to ensure that passenger service workers are getting the training they need to do their jobs effectively,” said Lillibeth Navarro, Executive Director of Communities Actively Living Independent & Free (CALIF) who spoke at the LAX press conference on Wednesday. “The airlines also need to ensure that these workers are getting good pay and health benefits, so that they can afford to stay at their jobs and build off of their experiences to provide quality service for passengers, particularly those of us with special needs.”
ELECTED, COMMUNITY SUPPORT
“Airport service workers provide important security and passenger assistance, but subcontracting these jobs to the lowest bidder has created a weak link in efforts to provide a safe and secure experience for passengers at LAX. In the interest of public safety, the airlines and the airport need to raise standards and improve conditions," said Jack Weiss, Los Angeles City Councilmember.
CONTRACT, ORGANIZING CAMPAIGN
For the first time ever, airport service workers united in Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1877 aim to negotiate master agreements to cover 5,000 subcontracted airline service workers at LAX, SFO, SJC, and OAK. Current contracts covering airport service workers are set to expire this summer. The airport service workers union, SEIU, is currently in, or will soon begin, negotiations with subcontractors that service American, United, Southwest and other airlines including ABM, Aero Port Services, Air Serv, ASIG, Aviation Safeguards, G2, Lee’s Maintenance, One Source, Primeflight, Secure Staff, Service Performance Company, and World Service West. These subcontractors service a majority of the security, janitorial and passenger service work at LAX, SFO, SJC and OAK.
AMERICAN, UNITED, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
“I urge American, United, Southwest and other to provide the training, equipment, decent wages and employee benefits required to improve quality services and security . More than $8 million in improvements are currently underway to modernize the airport, but unless we work to ensure that the men and women that work at LAX are property trained, we cannot truly be competitive. Currently, the airport service workers are undertrained, underpaid and expected to work with broken equipment. It was shocking to me to learn that these workers, oftentimes with no training, are responsible for searching planes for suspicious items,” said Janice Hahn, LA City Councilmember.
Community leaders, passenger rights advocates and airport service workers participated in delegations to American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines at LAX and SFO, urging the airlines to “get on board” with the efforts to improve standards.
Airline executives were presented with giant boarding passes, inviting them to confirm their seat at the table to discuss solutions to the airline industry crisis among subcontracted services. Coalition members carried luggage decorated with vintage travel-like stickers bearing slogans such as “Better Lives, Safer Skies” and “Quality Services Now.”
For more information about SEIU Airport Workers United visit: www.seiu-usww.org.