More than 200 union passenger service workers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) held a rally today to raise awareness about poverty wages that are forcing many airport workers to juggle multiple jobs, experience housing insecurity, and sacrifice time with their families just to survive in the Bay Area.
As workers enter contract negotiations with their employers, they say their current wages do not reflect the essential services they provide to millions of travelers each year. Despite working full-time at one of the busiest airports in the country, many airport workers earn wages so low that they must work second jobs, sleep on couches, or live far from the airport they serve.
“To make it on $22 an hour in the Bay Area I need to work two full-time jobs at SFO,” said Nestor Dolde, a wheelchair attendant at SFO. “I work 16 hours a day and don’t have time to see my family or even sleep.”
Workers say these conditions are widespread across job classifications at the airport, including wheelchair attendants, passenger service workers, and other frontline roles critical to airport operations and passenger safety.
“Most of the people I know at SFO work two jobs, including me,” said Noyra Gonzalez, a passenger services worker at SFO. “We can’t afford the rent near the airport. I pay rent for a couch at a family member’s house.”
During the rally, workers leafleted passengers, held banners and signs, and shared personal stories alongside elected allies calling for wages that allow airport workers to live with dignity in the region they serve. Union members emphasized that stable, fairly paid airport jobs are essential not only for workers’ families, but for the safety, reliability, and quality of service at SFO.