To: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Tell the PANYNJ: Pass $19 for Airport Workers!
Please join me in calling on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to support our local communities and airport passengers alike by passing their proposed $19 an hour wage schedule in June!
Why is this important?
My name is Gertridis Lopez and I work as a cabin cleaner at Newark Airport. I work hard to support my family every day. But making poverty wages for the past 12 years has meant that even when I work full time, it can still be hard to support my family. So my coworkers and I have started organizing with 32BJ and trying to make better jobs and lives for ourselves. Now, for the first time, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has a proposed policy that could raise 40,000 airport workers out of poverty.
There is a lot of talk of statistics and research, but the more personal story is that this proposal to raise airport workers' wages to $19 an hour would transform my life, drastically improve the lives of my children and allow me to fully contribute to my community in Newark. They say engaged parents can make the difference between a child doing well in school or not. But, years of poverty wages at the airport and working a second job in order to support my kids has meant my kids have grown up with me at work instead of having time to be engaged in their lives. My schedule is packed with work but I still found myself behind with expensive bills that cost more than even two jobs would pay.
Airport workers are the first line of defense at the airport and we deserve to be paid fairly for this important role. Passengers deserve the experienced workers that a higher wage would create as turnover decreases and airport workers become more skilled at our jobs. And more than anything, our children deserve the benefit of their parents in their lives.
Please join me in calling on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to support our local communities and airport passengers alike by passing their proposed $19 an hour wage schedule in June!
Yours in the struggle,
Gertrudis Lopez
There is a lot of talk of statistics and research, but the more personal story is that this proposal to raise airport workers' wages to $19 an hour would transform my life, drastically improve the lives of my children and allow me to fully contribute to my community in Newark. They say engaged parents can make the difference between a child doing well in school or not. But, years of poverty wages at the airport and working a second job in order to support my kids has meant my kids have grown up with me at work instead of having time to be engaged in their lives. My schedule is packed with work but I still found myself behind with expensive bills that cost more than even two jobs would pay.
Airport workers are the first line of defense at the airport and we deserve to be paid fairly for this important role. Passengers deserve the experienced workers that a higher wage would create as turnover decreases and airport workers become more skilled at our jobs. And more than anything, our children deserve the benefit of their parents in their lives.
Please join me in calling on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to support our local communities and airport passengers alike by passing their proposed $19 an hour wage schedule in June!
Yours in the struggle,
Gertrudis Lopez