To: Patrick Foye, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Airport Workers Deserve Paid Holidays
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Sir: Please use your authority as the head of the Port Authority to grant passenger service workers at New York area airports a paid holiday on Martin Luther King Day 2014, January 20, 2014.
Why is this important?
I am 26 years old and I live in East New York. I am a single mother of two daughters—Melissa, 4 and Aalisha, 6 years old. I work as a terminal cleaner for Airway Cleaners, a contractor for American Airlines in Terminal 8 at JFK Airport. I make $7.90 an hour with no benefits. My pay does not begin to cover my bills or food for me and my daughters.
I was previously on public assistance and the job center sent me to an agency for airport jobs.
It takes two of my paychecks to cover just the electric bill. By the time I pay daycare for my daughters, pay for transportation to work, I have nothing left over. Which means I am juggling the bills for the other expenses, seeing what bill I could afford not to pay until the next month.
One night, after carrying one of those garbage bags, my back was in so much pain. They said it was back spasms. I was incapacitated for the rest of the night. It’s been a nightmare trying to recover from that, especially with no health care benefits.
There are many, many workers at New York area’s three airports who are in the same boat as I am. This is no way to live. We deserve human dignity. We deserve respect. Please support us.
Contractors hired by airlines and terminal operators at New York area airports pay passenger service workers at the airports, poverty wages.
My coworkers and I get little or no health care.
Most of us don’t get paid holidays, vacation time and sick days.
For over a year we have been saying they cannot support their families under these conditions but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
Like they do every year, my coworkers will work this holiday season to make sure the flying public is safe and cared for, but our issues must be addressed.
January 20, 2014 is Martin Luther King Day. Dr. King died supporting Memphis sanitation workers who were working under deplorable conditions and making what would be $11.41 per hour today. 46 years after Dr, King’s death, most airport passenger service workers work under deplorable conditions and earn just $8 per hour with little or no benefits.
We demand and declare that MLK Day 2014 will be a paid holiday for all airport workers.
Therefore, join me and pledge to stand with the airport workers to make MLK Day 2014 a paid holiday.
I will stand with them until they are treated with RESPECT.
The Port Authority must take action on their issues.