Resolution in Support of Airport Workers Winning Better Pay and Union Rights

Adopted at the 85th Annual Meeting in 2017



  • WHEREAS, there are over 2,200 commercial airports in the United States enabling 9 million flights that transport 900 million passengers and 15 million tons of cargo a year; and

    WHEREAS, commercial aviation is a $846 billion industry, which is nearly 5% of overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP); and

    WHEREAS, contracted airport workers?'the majority of whom are immigrants and people of color?'keep our airports running safely and smoothly; and

    WHEREAS, most contracted airport workers live in households paid less than $25,000 a year, qualifying them for public assistance to pay for basic necessities like food, health care and housing; and

    WHEREAS, the majority of contracted airport service workers are paid less than $12 an hour and four out of ten have had to go hungry or skip meals; and

    WHEREAS, public assistance benefits to U.S. airport workers total an estimated $1.2 billion each year; and

    WHEREAS, a wage of at least $15 at U.S. airports will provide transformative economic benefits for low-wage airport workers, generating an additional $3.8 billion in economic activity in the first year alone, and $20 billion over five years; and

    WHEREAS, when underpaid airport workers rise above a $15 wage floor, they will be able to spend more in our cities, supporting more than 22,500 new year-round jobs,

    NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the United States Conference of Mayors urges all airlines to hire responsible union contractors and ensure that contracted airport workers are paid a living wage with benefits and the freedom to form a union; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the United States Conference of Mayors urges Cities to advocate for airports to be engines of prosperity that provide family-sustaining jobs and boost the economy in our communities; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the United States Conference of Mayors urges local, state, and federal elected officials to ensure that corporations that benefit from taxpayer dollars create good, family-sustaining jobs.
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