Dozens of Philadelphia International Airport workers rallied in support of federal legislation that would require all domestic airports nationwide to pay at least $15 an hour and provide health care benefits or risk losing federal infrastructure grants.
For Onetha McKnight, Philadelphia International Airport wheelchair attendant and SEIU 32BJ member, joining a union nearly tripled her hourly wage almost a decade ago.
At one point, she was relying on tips to fill the gap between her hourly wage of $5.50 and the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour.
“We all know that tips are not guaranteed,” said McKnight, who is the matriarch of her family with five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
SEIU 32BJ represents 950 workers at the Philadelphia International Airport and 10,000 workers across the Philadelphia region.
In June 2021, Philadelphia City Council voted to change local law requiring prevailing wages to be paid to airport workers up to $15.06 an hour plus several dollars more to cover health insurance and paid sick leave. That law covers airplane cabin cleaners, baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, and security personnel.
But union workers said they had to strike before contractors would pay prevailing wages under the Philadelphia law.
“The fight is ongoing,” McKnight said. “They want nothing more than to take our victories away and put us back to minimum wage.”
Union leaders claim that major corporations, such as American Airlines, have been redirecting flights and...
Blow the whistle, get paid. A Justice Department bounty program that incentivizes employees to blow the whistle on their employers could lead to more whistleblowing as the Trump administration inte...