In particular, this provides Sens. JD Vance and Sherrod Brown to work together in this season of harmony to support hardworking Ohioans, much as they did for rail workers. To this point, both have given an open ear to this issue — especially because they understand the daily struggle of blue-collar workers. We share their belief that an honest, hard day’s work deserves commensurate pay and benefits.
Which is why we are so dedicated to seeing these standards included in the upcoming reauthorization bill. Good Jobs for Good Airports standards would ensure our wages and benefits match the dedicated work we put in to keep America’s airports humming. We report to work at the crack of dawn, move tens of thousands of people every day, and take pride in our job as Ohioans. Yet the low pay or limited protections have forced many burned out janitors, cabin cleaners, skycaps, baggage handlers, passenger service and food and concession workers to leave their jobs.
This turnover is the driving factor for why airports are under even more stress this busy holiday season. If you’re reading this on a long line at Dayton International or Cleveland Hopkins, where I work, you can blame it on the fact that airport service workers’ wages have remained practically flat the last 20 years. That’s while airlines report record profits as airports become more chaotic by the year. Service workers will sometimes sleep in the airport chapel to make their next shift, as American Airlines took in $14 billion in revenue in the second quarter of 2023.
That wasn’t the case when I started at Cleveland Hopkins two decades ago. We had a union that fought for us on everything from wages to protections like PPE. Many new workers don’t have those same protections, which has allowed powerful airlines to take advantage of their blood, sweat, and tears. Someone needs to hold them in check.
There’s a simple solution here: hold the airlines accountable by setting wage and benefit standards for airport service workers. It will create good jobs right here, across Ohio, and restore a little bit of order to our overcrowded airports. Sens. Vance and Brown realized this benefit when they fought for our brothers and sisters in the rail industry.
Now, we’re calling on them to deliver a post-Christmas miracle for those of us who spend most of the holidays away from their families. We roll up our sleeves to get families to their vacation in Florida or college students back to see their families. We do it because we take pride in our work and we care about our communities. But we cannot do this work for poverty wages. Airport service workers deserve the wages and protections promised under the Good Jobs for Good Airport standards.
Including this promise in the FAA Reauthorization Bill when it comes up for a vote in the new year will be the gift that keeps giving for us.
Sandra Ellington has been an airport service worker at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for two decades.
About the Author