Frontline Airport Workers, Senator Weinberg Call for Immediate Passage of Healthy Terminals Act

Workers say they need protection from COVID-19 now and need the means to reduce devastation inflicted on communities of color

Pressure mounts after similar bill passes in New York legislature

NEWARK, N.J.—  Dozens of essential 32BJ and UNITEHERE Local 100 airport workers, accompanied by Senator Joe Cryan, Assemblywoman Linda Carter, Assemblyman Dan Benson, Newark Board of Education Member Yambeli Gomez, Reverend Barry Wise, Make the Road NJ and Citizen Action rallied at Military Park to call on the NJ legislature to pass Healthy Terminals Act (S989/A2487) while in session this month, so workers hardest hit by COVID-19 can obtain quality, affordable healthcare.

The same bill passed in the New York legislature in July, prompting workers and their supporters to call on the NJ legislature to not leave workers west of the Hudson behind. Bill sponsor Senator Weinberg and Larry Engelstein, 32BJ SEIU Secretary Treasurer, called for the Senate Labor Committee to pass the bill during proceedings on Monday, Aug. 10, and urged the Assembly to act immediately.

“The Healthy Terminals Act could not be more important right now— airport workers have suffered enough,” bill sponsor Senator Loretta Weinberg said. “If frontline, essential airport workers have healthcare, and the means to see a doctor, we will have healthier workers, passengers and communities. New York’s legislature already passed the same bill, and now New Jersey must make it a priority. I urge the Senate Labor Committee to pass the bill on Monday.”

“It’s outrageous to expect workers to be out on the front lines without the fundamental right of health care,” Larry Engelstein said, 32BJ SEIU Secretary Treasurer. “Black, brown and immigrant airport workers have been on the frontlines of this pandemic— securing terminals, sanitizing bathrooms, and making sure passengers get to their destinations safely. Workers are counting on their elected officials to move this bill. I’d like to thank the Senate President Steve Sweeney for his leadership, and I urge the Assembly to hear the bill next week.”

Subcontracted workers at Newark Liberty International Airport struggle to obtain meaningful, affordable health insurance. Nearly 35% could be uninsured at the airport, according to a voluntary 2019 study by 32BJ SEIU. If enacted, the Healthy Terminals Act would cover over 10,000 workers.

“I need the people who represent me to take the Healthy Terminals Act seriously,” Yvette Stephens said, a laid off security officer at Newark Liberty International Airport, and 32BJ SEIU member. “My doctor says I desperately need tests and appointments to confirm if I have a tumor or something else, but I cannot afford the bills to get it done. I pray to God every day that we get this bill, because I cannot wait any longer.”

“I’m sick and tired of living without healthcare,” said Richard Chisolm, a baggage hander and 32BJ member. “I can’t afford what my company gives me so I go without. Expensive healthcare isn’t a benefit— it hurts us and costs thousands of dollars every year. If we all had healthcare, we could spend so much more on our homes and our families. We could funnel so much money into the economy. But instead we’re strapped. It doesn’t make any sense to me. This bill has to be passed now.”

“New Jersey cannot turn a blind eye to thousands of workers who are struggling to get by without healthcare,” said Jose Maldonado, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITEHERE Local 100, another union representing workers at Newark Liberty. “Many have been working through the pandemic without basic protections like health insurance. Airport workers are united in passing the Healthy Terminals Act for the sake of their families, passengers and their jobs. We urge Speaker Coughlin to post this bill for a vote.”

The bill has overwhelming support in the legislature and from community allies, and earned an endorsement from Essex County Democratic Chairman LeRoy James.

“I am proud to endorse the Healthy Terminals Act (S377/A2487), a bill that would provide 10,000 New Jersey airport workers access to quality, affordable health insurance. Black, brown and immigrant workers have risked their lives on the frontlines of the pandemic to make travel safe for passengers, and we must take care of them too. We must not leave behind New Jersey workers as the New York legislature has already passed this bill. In my capacity as Chairman of East Orange and Essex County, I will do everything in my power to ensure a swift passage of this bill. Newark Liberty plays a vital role in our economy for businesses and workers alike, and we must guarantee that our essential airport workers are adequately protected and have the means to attain meaningful healthcare.” –LeRoy James, Essex County Democratic Chairman

The Healthy Terminals Act, which is sponsored by Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assembly Member Annette Quijano, would require employers at Newark Liberty to compensate workers with a $4.54 benefits supplement above the applicable minimum wage that can be used to acquire health insurance.

Workers and Engelstein will testify on Monday, Aug. 10 at 10:00am at a Senate Labor Committee proceeding urging members to pass the bill.

With more than 175,000 members in 11 states and Washington, D.C., including 13,000 workers in NJ, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country