Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Urging/Supporting/Opposing
Purpose: Urging United Airlines to comply with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's rules to provide its lowest paid workers with a raise.
Additional Information:
Sponsor: Council Member Mildred C. Crump
body
WHEREAS, the Newark Municipal Council recognizes that Newark Liberty International Airport serves as a gateway and economic engine to the City of Newark and the State of New Jersey, and as such, it should be operated as a first class facility that meets the air travel and cargo demands of the surrounding region; and
WHEREAS, the Newark Municipal Council believes that ensuring airline subcontracted workers are provided livable wages, meaningful benefits and job security is fundamental to ensuring the airport delivers the service levels of quality that are a benefit to the public; and
WHEREAS, approximately 4,000 employees of airline subcontractors at Newark Liberty International Airport are generally working for poverty wages and receiving no meaningful benefits, such as health insurance; and,
WHEREAS, United Airlines controlled over 70 percent of passenger traffic at Newark Liberty International Airport in 2013; and,
WHEREAS, Newark Liberty International Airport is United's second busiest passenger hub in the world with 24.6 million passengers in 2013 alone; and,
WHEREAS, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has invested over $4.2 billion at Newark Liberty International Airport and is planning to invest $2.2 billion more in the next 20 years; and,
WHEREAS, these workers deserve and need good quality jobs that can provide them with the ability to maintain their families and invest into the local community; and,
WHEREAS, a large majority of the subcontracted airport workers live in the impoverished areas surrounding the airport, including Newark; and,
WHEREAS, according to 2012 U.S. Census figures, 28% of the population of Newark lives below the poverty level, including 38.9% of children in the city; and
WHEREAS, Using a more realistic measure of poverty, given the high costs of living in Newark, an estimated 53% of the population in Newark lives in poverty; and,
WHEREAS, minorities are bearing the brunt of the low standards, since an estimated 94% of the subcontracted workers at Newark Liberty International Airport are people of color (60% African-American, 27% Latino, and 7% Asian/Pacific Islander); and,
WHEREAS, American and Delta have agreed to the Port Authority's new rules to give the lowest paid subcontracted workers in New York a $1 raise and make MLK Jr. Day a paid holiday. But United has so far refused, leaving thousands of workers in Newark behind.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
The Newark Municipal Council calls on United Airlines to:
1. Comply with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's rules to provide its lowest paid workers with a raise following the January 28th, 2014 directive of Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye by making Martin Luther King Day a paid holiday and by granting an immediate raise of $1.00/hr to those earning less than $9.00 and phasing in a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour.
2. Work with its subcontractors in Newark to increase standards at Newark Liberty International Airport
3. Work with its subcontractors to ensure that workers are free to organize a union and improve their lives
4. Recognize its role in the economic development of City of Newark and its residents as a major employer and driver of economic activity and do right by the workers and Newark by providing good family sustaining jobs to ensure the economic security of our great city.
Statement
This resolution urges United Airlines to comply with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's rules to provide its lowest paid workers with a raise following the January 28th, 2014 directive of Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye. It urges United Airlines to make Martin Luther King Day a paid holiday and grant an immediate raise of $1.00 per hour to those earning less than $9.00 per hour and phasing in a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour