Airport workers to pack MAC meeting, demand higher wage

Airport workers say they will pack Monday’s meeting of the Metropolitan Airports Commission to protest a proposal that falls short of the $15 minimum wage they advocate.

The meeting will be held Monday, May 18, at 1 p.m., at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 15Now supporters will gather at noon at the tram-level information desk in the main terminal before going to the meeting.

Responding to pressure, the MAC will consider a resolution to require airport contractors to pay $10 an hour effective Aug. 1, which is $1 more than the state-mandated minimum wage of $9 an hour effective that same date.

“While any raise is welcome, [the MAC’s] proposal leaves hundreds of workers out entirely, and is far from enough to address widespread poverty conditions facing airport workers and their families,” members of 15Now said in an e-mail. “This proposal is especially outrageous after Delta [Air Lines] awarded their CEO a $5 million raise last year!”

The group is calling on members and supporters to pack the meeting and “demand the MAC come back next month with something worth discussing.”

Approximately 2,800 airport workers, including aircraft cleaners, wheelchair attendants and electric cart drivers would benefit from a $15 minimum wage. Many of these jobs used to be good-paying positions with the airlines, but have been subcontracted to low-wage companies.

Kip Hedges, an activist with 15Now, said the momentum is behind the movement, which has been building in Minnesota and several other states. Many airport workers earn so little they must work multiple jobs to make ends meet, he said.

In December, Delta Air Lines fired Hedges, a 26-year employee and known union activist, for speaking up on behalf of low-wage workers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Hedges said he is exhausting the internal appeal process and expects to file suit against the airline for wrongful termination later this month.

Hedges said he believes Delta expected his termination to have a chilling effect on the 15Now movement, but the outcome has been just the opposite. In the months since, workers have mobilized for numerous rallies and other events to demand better pay and working conditions. They successfully pressured the airports commission to require airport contractors to provide paid sick leave for employees.