Can't Hold Us Down!


On 3/30, airport workers from coast to coast will take action! They’re asking the CEOs of each of the nation’s largest airlines to commit to ensuring that everyone who works at an airport, no matter your race, background or role, have jobs that pay a living wage, provide affordable healthcare and ensure a voice on the job.



Get to know Joseph Lammons Get to know Mohamed Osman

MARCH 30, 2022

#GoodAirports

ORD * DCA & Dulles * PDX * EWR * PHL * JFK * MIA * MCO * FLL * BOS * TPA * DFW * DEN * LAX * SFO * CLT * HOU * PHX * SEA * MSP * ATL

via GIPHY

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Tell these airline CEOs: Do right by working people

After accepting billions in public dollars and operating out of airports run on public funds, Airline CEOs pay themselves $5,000 an hour on average, while some airport workers are paid as little as $8 an hour. These are the essential workers who help keep our airports safe, clean and running — helping make flying possible. They deserve to be respected, protected and paid living wages with healthcare and paid time off.

Airline CEOs are squeezing working people — from nickel and diming passengers with fees to encouraging a race to the bottom in wages for largely Black, brown and immigrant workers who do critical jobs — like cleaning cabins, securing terminals and assisting disabled and elderly passengers. We're all fed up with airlines ballooning CEO pay. We want air travel to be reliable and stable — and that starts with good, union jobs.

This past year, we've seen waves of working people who are rising up against CEOs and corporations who exploit workers. Join the #UnionsForAll movement advocating for worker power and let these greedy CEOs know: We're not stopping until all working people are able to have a union. Don't wait. Join us!

Don’t wait. Join us now!

Click to see the Good Jobs, Good Airports Pledge

Airports belong to all of us. They are part of our cities and communities. They are built and maintained with public resources to help us connect with each other. That’s why it’s unacceptable that airports aren’t working the way they should or could. Flights are frequently canceled and air travel feels less stable and reliable for passengers. Many frontline airport service workers -who are largely Black, brown and immigrants- lack adequate healthcare or paid sick days, and struggle on wages in some cities as low as $8 an hour. It shouldn’t be that way. Better airports are possible, but airlines can and must do better.

When airport service workers -like wheelchair agents, cabin cleaners, baggage handlers and security officers- are respected, provided family-sustaining wages, benefits and a voice on the job, airports are better for both passengers and communities alike.

The undersigned airline CEO pledges the following for all workers who support air travel and transportation in the airline’s system:

  • Take responsibility for the largely Black, brown and immigrant service workforce and acknowledge the airline has the ability and responsibility to end poverty level jobs and inequity throughout its system.
  • Ensure the billions of public dollars airlines receive annually serve the public good --and not just shareholders and executives-- by setting a minimum wage and benefit standard, where all workers have family sustaining wages, affordable quality healthcare and paid time off to spend with family and heal from illness.
  • Respect workers’ rights to form a union
  • Encourage contractors to be neutral when workers organize a union and stop using contractors that violate labor laws.
  • Ensure contracts with airport service providers are able to meet the above wage and benefits standards and the airline will prioritize good service over lowest price.

We make this pledge in order to make all airports, good airports, where working people can thrive, not just survive. Where everyone --Black, brown, AAPI, and white-- are treated equitably and with respect. Where everyone can have a voice on the job. And together, we can ensure a smooth recovery in air travel as we come out of the pandemic.

______________
Signed CEO of

Joseph Lammons

Joseph Lammons is a Cabin Cleaner at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). He enjoys his job and ensuring that passengers have a safe and clean airplane for their travels. Despite playing a critical role in maintaining travel at PHL, Joseph is paid wages that are far below what he deserves and forces him to live one and one-half hours away from the airport by train.

By joining together in his union, 32BJ, Joseph has been able to make his voice heard and fight for higher wages and job improvements. PHL airport workers’ voices were heard and in 2021, the Philadelphia City Council introduced a bill to improve airport workers’ jobs by creating a prevailing wage, which includes a healthcare supplement, sick days and holidays.

These improvements are life changing for Joseph and all airport workers, but American Airlines pushed back on the bill, proposing to delay the healthcare supplement. Yes, the same airline that received billions during the pandemic and pays its CEO thousands of dollars an hour wanted to deny airport workers from receiving healthcare.

Without Joseph, air travel in Philadelphia would suffer and it’s time for airline CEOs to commit to ensuring workers that airports and airlines depend on are respected, protected, and paid a living wage.

Mohamed Osman

Mohamed Osman is a Wheelchair Agent at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). He is a Sudanese immigrant and father of four children. His job is hard. Mohamed works 7 days a week – sometimes from 4AM to 3PM – and can walk nearly 12 miles a day, but he really enjoys his job and making sure that passengers are comfortable and have the assistance they need during their travels.

Despite his importance to passengers and the airlines, Mohamed is paid such low wages that he is barely able to survive and support his family. He depends on tips from generous passengers to help, but there’s no guarantee how much – if any – tips he’ll receive each shift. Nor should he depend on the kindness of strangers to get by.

Mohamed has been assisting disabled and elderly passengers make their flights and get where they need to go for nearly 20 years but is still disrespected and not paid fairly for the hard work he does.

With a union at DFW, Mohamed and his coworkers would have a stronger voice to fight for jobs that are good, union jobs that allow workers to survive and support their families and not worry if they will have enough money to pay for food, bills and the necessities to survive.