Scroll Top

SENATE URGES PORT AUTHORITY OF NY/NJ TO INCREASE MINIMUM WAGE FOR NEWARK AIRPORT WORKERS

 TRENTON – The Senate today approved a resolution urging the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to request and support a wage increase to $10.10 an hour for workers at NewarkLibertyInternationalAirport. The resolution (SR-58) is sponsored by Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and Senator Raymond J. Lesniak.

 “This is about standing up for the men and women who go to work every day to ensure the safety of travelers who pass through the NewarkAirport, and about ensuring fairness in pay and treatment for our workers equal to those on the other side of the river,” said Senator Ruiz (D-Essex). “Newark airport employees deserve an opportunity to make a decent living, to support their families and to live with dignity. Making sure their compensation does not fall behind those who are doing the same jobs at La Guardia and Kennedy International Airport is critical.”

“Nearly 4,000 workers earning $9 an hour or less would benefit from a $1 an hour increase in the minimum wage at Newark airport,” said Senator Weinberg (D-Bergen). “Gov. Cuomo is pushing for increased wages for airport workers at port-run facilities in New York. Certainly, New Jersey workers deserve the same quality wages and working standards as their New York counterparts.”

“Airport workers have demanding jobs that carry weighty responsibilities. They are terminal security, baggage handlers and cabin assistants. They are our eyes and ears on the ground to ensure the safety of the public and are vital to airport operations,” said Lesniak (D-Union). “In order to maintain the quality of the services they provide, we need to ensure a fair and decent wage that is in line with other airports in the region.”

At the urging of New York Governor Cuomo’s administration, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has requested and indicated its support for a wage increase for New York airport workers earning $9.00 per hour or less, which would affect nearly 8,000 workers. Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye, a New York appointee, sent a letter to the airlines calling on them to implement an immediate $1 increase for employees in New York-run operations, with a base pay phase-in to $10.10 per hour – a proposal which mirrors the executive order issued by President Obama to increase the minimum wage for federal workers to $10.10 per hour.

New Jersey’s top Port Authority appointee, Deputy Executive Director Deborah Gramiccioni, has not followed suit. Copies of this resolution will be transmitted to the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority, and each member of the Board of Commissioners appointed by the New Jersey governor.