Sea-Tac airport workers and allies are calling on Port officials to hold off on granting any further funding for the international and Alaska Airlines’ NorthSTAR terminal development projects until airlines commit to honoring the recent state Supreme Court decision upholding the Sea-Tac Minimum Wage Law and agree to tougher service permitting standards

SEA-TAC – As the Port of Seattle Commission prepares to weigh in on a new funding plan for the Sea-Tac International Arrivals Facility, airport workers are calling on Port officials to postpone the decision and hold-off on disbursement of any further terminal development funding until airlines agree to honor new minimum workplace standards.

At a meeting Tuesday, commissioners will be considering a plan to upgrade and expand the airport’s international terminal at a cost of $608 million. Money for construction is slated to come from sources including a fee levied on passenger tickets known as a Passenger Facility Charge and the Port financial reserves.

While the Port is contemplating the use of public subsidies to fund projects that benefit airlines operating at Sea-Tac, these carriers use contractors that have yet to say when they will come into compliance with a recent Washington Supreme Court decision that ruled that a voter-approved $15 minimum wage ordinance does apply to passenger service workers.

As a result of efforts by Alaska Airlines and other airlines to block implementation of the $15 minimum wage through litigation, last year contract airport workers at Sea-Tac lost on higher wages – money that could have helped fuel the local economy.

“Thanks to legal challenges by Alaska and the other airlines, hardworking men and women at Sea-Tac lost out on higher wages, and now even after the Supreme Court weighed in, their contractors are still not paying,” said Working Washington Field Director David-Ayala Zamora. “At a time when airlines are making record profits, I see no reason why Port commissioners should agree to spend one dime to support their operations —let alone hundreds of millions in public subsidies.”

The Port has already committed to contribute more than $507.6 million for a planned upgrade of Alaska Airlines north satellite (NorthSTAR) terminal while agreeing to limit Alaska’s share of up-front costs to only $37 million.

Socrates Bravo, a ramp agent who works for ground handling contractor Menzies Aviation, thinks it is wrong for the Port to provide these incentives. “The Port should not be giving handouts to Alaska and the other airlines when workers are still not being paid what we are owed and while we continue to face unsafe working conditions at the airport.”

The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating Alaska Airlines’ main contractor, Menzies Aviation, for workplace safety hazards reported by workers.

Major US carriers such as Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which stand to benefit the most from the new terminal development, made $7 billion in profits last year. To cut costs and increase profits, these airlines have increasingly outsourced vital airport services to low-road contractors, forcing service providers to compete in a race to the bottom. This business model drives down job quality, passenger service, and security standards for both the traveling public and airport employees.

Alaska Airlines and other major carriers have sought to block efforts by both Sea-Tac voters and the Port Authority to not only raise airport worker wages, but also to implement other new contractor standards that could help improve safety.

As has been noted by safety experts and airport authority executives, airport safety is not well-served when exhausted employees have to work two jobs just to make ends meet.

Recently, the Port Authority and Alaska Airlines have come under increased scrutiny for workplace safety lapses that have put both workers and passengers at risk.

In response to concerns over lax standards, major US airports across the country —including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, San Jose, Calif., New York and Boston—have implemented proactive policies that promote stable operations, quality performance, and improved safety and security requirements for airline service providers.

Airport workers at SeaTac are also calling on the Port to implement stricter airline service provider permitting standards to help protect workers and passengers as well as the public’s investment in the airport.

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Airport workers across the country are coming together in Airport Workers United, a movement of workers and their allies, raising their voices for $15 and union rights to make our airports safe and secure for passengers, employees and our communities. Together, they have won a union voice for 15,000 airport workers and have already secured wage increases and other job improvements for more than 45,000 airport workers nationwide.

Background:

Earlier this year, a King County jury awarded a former ramp worker $40 million for injuries sustained in a collision at Sea-Tac; the worker was paralyzed in an accident that occurred after the brakes and steering failed on his vehicle and he crashed into a broken piece of equipment that had been left on the ramp. The Port of Seattle was held liable for $10 million for failing to maintain safe working conditions at the airport.

In April, Alaska Airlines made headlines across the country when one of its flights was forced to make an emergency landing after passengers heard banging and screams from a ramp agent trapped in the plane’s cargo hold. The worker, who was not injured, was taken to the hospital for examination as a precaution.

This incident is the latest in a series of apparent Alaska Airlines safety lapses. In February, a baggage truck hit an Alaska plane at SeaTac while passengers were boarding their flight. The accident echoed a number of similar incidents involving collisions between Alaska Airlines jets and ramp vehicles.

One of the most serious incidents occurred in 2005, when an Alaska Airlines jet was bumped by a baggage cart operated by its ramp provider Menzies Aviation; the accident was not reported. The pilots were forced to make an emergency descent from 26,000 feet after the plane lost cabin pressure.

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