WHAT: JFK Airport Workers’ Security Delegation to JetBlue and AerLingus as part of airport workers’ global day of action against declining standards
WHO: JetBlue and AerLingus’ subcontracted airport workers.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at 11:30am
WHERE: JFK Airport Terminal 5. Delegation to gather below the elevators to the Air Tran.
VISUALS: Images of JFK airport workers rallying together with colorful signs and banners. Audio and video of workers marching into JFK airport to recite their security pledge and deliver a letter to JetBlue and AerLingus representatives.
New York, NY— As corporate executives of the world’s airlines gather in Dublin on June 1-2 for the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting and World Air Transport Summit, airport workers around the world will engage in their campaign’s first-ever global day of action. Following the release of a report projecting airline industry profits of $36 billion in 2016, airport workers plan to expose the fact that while the airline industry is making record profits, the airport service workers who make such profits possible are being underpaid, overworked, and overlooked.
At JFK airport, Cabin cleaners, terminal cleaners and wheelchair attendants who work for JetBlue and AerLingus have been outspoken about the ways this race to the bottom effects both airport workers and passengers. As JetBlue’s subcontractor Ultimate rushes to clean more planes and decrease delays, airport workers have sometimes been told not to complete security checks of JetBlue planes. Worker turn over for AerLingus and JetBlue’s subcontractors at JFK is also high because of the low wages airport workers are forced to live on.
JFK airport workers and their supporters will be leafleting and engaging passengers on June 1 as they send delegations to JetBlue and AerLingus to demand safer airports for workers and passengers alike. Similar actions will be held at major airports around the globe, including in Ireland, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden cities across the U.S. The airport workers’ global day of action is supported by UNI Global Union, which represents 20 million workers from over 150 countries in the skills and services sectors. The efforts are spearheaded by a new global coalition called Airports United that is determined to secure economic justice and higher standards for airport service workers no matter where they work. The June 1st actions are designed to send a clear message to the powerful corporate executives.
###
Around the country, contracted airport workers are coming together in Airport Workers United, a movement of workers and their allies, raising their voices for $15 and union rights to make our airports safe and secure for passengers, employees and our communities. By sticking together, speaking out for change, and going on strike, these workers have won wage increases in Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia, and Fort Lauderdale. Today, more than 70,000 workers nationwide have either received wages increases or other improvements, including healthcare, paid sick leave and worker retention policies as a result of the workers’ campaign.