MLK Day Op-Ed: Airport Wages Are ‘Affront To King’s Legacy’

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following op-ed comes courtesy of Zakiyy Medina, an Elizabeth resident and 32BJ SEIU member who works as a baggage handler at Newark Liberty International Airport. Send local news tips and op-eds to eric.kiefer@patch.com

During the 1963 March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for raising the federal minimum wage to $2. Adjusted for inflation his wage demand equals $15.51 today. Before he died in April 1968, Dr. King marched with Memphis sanitation laborers who were working under deplorable conditions, what today would be less than $12 per hour.

It is an affront to Dr. King’s legacy that, 50 years after his death, New Jersey's airport workers are earning even less in real wages than the sanitation workers he championed.

I am one of these Newark Airport workers, and on Jan. 15, the day dedicated to Dr. King and his legacy, I will march at Newark Liberty International Airport with my brothers and sisters from our union, 32BJ SEIU. We’ve been actively asking commissioners from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to pass a resolution, which was promised years ago, that would help us make New Jersey and New York airports ready safe and strong.

I’ve worked at Newark Airport as a baggage handler for nearly three years now, and I take pride in my job. Many people don't realize it, but my co-workers and I are the first line of defense. If a bag looks suspicious, we immediately call the cops. The fact is we make the airport run smoothly, we keep people safe.

Though we all work hard, most of Newark earn only $10.20 an hour. Like me, many New York-area airport workers and are barely able to survive on wages that make it impossible to sustain ourselves let alone our families. The reality is we are the working poor. Many of the 40,000 contracted workers at Newark Airport, LGA and JFK are a paycheck away from not paying bills and many of us rely on Medicaid for healthcare and public subsidies to make ends meet, despite working full-time.

But, we haven't given up. For years, many of us have been attending Port meetings, demonstrating at protests, rallies and even going on strike at Newark Airport to demand the respect we need to serve passengers safely and to the best of our ability and to win the union. Some of us have won better working conditions but we’ll continue fighting until all workers have a voice and feel respected.

Being ready, safe and strong means providing good jobs with better wages and benefits that has been proven to decrease turnover and giving us the and the adequate training we need to perform our jobs to the best of our abilities. We are ready when we have the proper training to do our job well. Airport workers like me are strong when we have adequate insurance thatkeeps us healthy so we can work harder and provide the best services for our passengers. Our airports are safe when we are able to earn family-sustaining wages that allow us to stay at our jobs for years to come and spend money in our New Jersey communities.

More than 50 years ago, Dr. King said, “the time is always right to do what is right.” Now that both New York Governor Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy have stated they support raises and meaningful benefits for airport workers, the time is now for Port Authority commissioners to do what’s right.

• See related article: Fight For Living Wage Continues At Newark Airport

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here.

Photo: 32BJ SEIU