CLT can work for all NC, but Washington needs to step in

AIRPORT WORKERS UNITED

Contract workers march for better pay and work conditions at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in 2023. Charlotte workers have stepped up efforts to improve pay and work standards and are pushing the federal government to help their cause.

As a lifelong Charlotte resident, I'm proud to see our hometown grow into one of America's best corporate, banking, and sports cities. But if you’ve flown into or out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, it still feels like you’re arriving in a small southern city.

Eventually, CLT will grow to meet the demand of approximately 50 million annual travelers. American Airlines, whose planes I service as a Charlotte-based cabin cleaner, is planning to add a new runway to allow for 800 flights daily. As the airport expansion is poised to reshape our city again, we cannot leave behind the overloaded, hardworking North Carolinians who keep it running.

Which is why it’s crucial that our representatives in Washington ensure the Good Jobs for Good Airports standards are included in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization. This would ensure fair pay and good benefits are part of America’s air system policies over the next five years. Sen. Ted Budd has a crucial role to play here given his role on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which is responsible for determining what policies get included in the reauthorization bill before it goes before the full Senate for a vote.

These standards are essential because the status quo at CLT and other airports cannot continue. I’m a cleaner on the first shift crew, which means my team and I are ready to get to work long before the first flight lands. Sadly, we’re often given maybe eight of the 15 minutes we’re supposed to have to clean our planes due to it taking longer to get people off. But rushing quality work is just not the North Carolina way – and it can put the health of travelers at risk.

From there, we’re forced to run down 24 steps, head across a tarmac in temperatures from 10 to 100 degrees and get on the next plane. If the next plane is coming from or leaving for overseas, cabin cleaners must check for explosives or other threats. (As a military veteran who worked in the security industry, I take this responsibility seriously and want to make sure that all of us are in the best position to fulfil this important role.) When our break rolls around, we’re forced to eat lunch in a supply closet surrounded by chemicals, cleaning supplies, and other hazardous materials. It’s no surprise that so many of my coworkers call out on any given Sunday, because the sometimes-dangerous work is simply not worth the pay.

GJGA can begin to change that by making sure our pay matches the hard work we do. The House of Representatives fell short of realizing that, but I want to thank Reps. Alma Adams and Don Davis for supporting GJGA. I hope the entire North Carolina delegation will support it, too.

But this can and should be a bipartisan issue that rises above the political climate. Which is why my biggest appeal is to Sen. Ted Budd — a man who ran for Senate on the promise to deliver for working-class people. Many North Carolinians voted for him because of this promise. That’s how he won and now how he can be a true champion for workers. Other Republican senators who ran on the same message, like J.D. Vance, have shown that type of support for rail workers in his state hurt by the East Palestine accident a year ago this week.

Charlotte’s growth is good for our entire state, but it can’t come at the expense of pushing lifelong residents out. We both believe hardworking North Carolinians deserve fair pay if they show up on time and do their job with dignity. Good Jobs for Good Airports will give us the tools to keep CLT humming day after day, allow many of us to continue living in the city we love, and serve our community with true dedication.

Shawn Montgomery is a cabin cleaner at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where he services planes for American Airlines.

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