PHOTO | LUIS RODRIGUEZ

Shawn Montgomery, who cleans airplane cabins for contractor JetStream, speaks during a rally last week near Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Airline service workers are pressing Congress to pass the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, which would codify working wages and benefits for service workers in the air travel industry.

There’s no such thing as maternity leave on Morgani Brown’s job.

Brown, a cabin cleaner for airline contractor JetStream, said last week she had to return to work shortly after giving birth because her employer doesn’t offer benefits such as parental leave. As a result, she joined fellow Charlotte airport service workers – during the height of holiday travel season – to lobby Congress for improved pay and benefits.

“I had to go back to work a month after my baby was born, because I couldn’t afford to stay home without pay,” she said. “Many of us have to work overtime or multiple jobs just to pay the bills. Because of our hard work, families can travel and reunite during the holidays, but we rarely have time to spend with our own loved ones.”

Lower-wage air travel workers in 15 major U.S. cities that make up 45% of all domestic air travel and 65% of travel through major hubs gathered last week to urge passage of the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.). The legislation will ensure living wages and benefits such as paid time off and healthcare for lower-wage workers such as aircraft cabin cleaners and trash truck drivers who are organizing with the Service Employees International Union.

“We’re short staffed because the pay and benefits are not enough for what we do,” said Shonda Barber, a JetStream trash truck driver who sometimes fills in as a cabin cleaner. “I work 60 hours a week and am just barely surviving. We don’t get enough paid time off, even during a pandemic. I lost two weeks without pay when I had to quarantine [due to the COVID pandemic]. We need Congress to step up and make sure these are good jobs. That’s good for workers and for passengers.”

Airport workers say poor pay, poor working conditions, and lack of benefits, such as paid sick time and affordable healthcare lead to higher turnover rates. Some cabin cleaners say they are understaffed and rushed to clean planes only minutes before takeoff and work in extreme heat during the summer without opportunities to take water breaks.

“We’re working in 90-degree weather, carrying bags of trash that can weigh 70 pounds,” said Shawn Montgomery, a Jetstream cabin cleaner. “I’ve injured both of my knees coming down the steps and now I have to wear knee braces. Sometimes we don’t even have easy access to water. It can be dangerous when you're walking in the heat out on the asphalt.”

According to a 2017 University of California at Berkeley study, better wages and benefits improve employee retention, airport security and travel time. The legislation, advocates say, are especially needed to improve the economic condition of Black and brown workers who often hold the lowest paid jobs in the industry. 
 

Comments