32BJ of the Service Employees International Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday, August 19, 2020

Labor, immigrant, faith and environmental groups release letter in support of ‘Healthy Terminals Act’

Bill under consideration by the NJ legislature would give thousands of workers access to affordable health insurance  

NEWARK, N.J.—  Twenty New Jersey organizations called on Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin to post and pass the Healthy Terminals Act (S-989/A-2487), a bill that would cover 10,000 predominantly Black and brown Newark Liberty International Airport workers with health insurance. The group letter states, in part:

“We all understand that health care is not a privilege; it is a right – a right that thousands of New Jersey airport workers continue to struggle to attain. Airport employees in particular have suffered from lack of access to quality, affordable healthcare, despite being frontline workers; thousands of workers at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) remain uninsured. The Healthy Terminals Act makes sense for us all; it would save the state millions and provide a more secure future for thousands of our neighbors.”

The letter comes after the bill was released from the Senate Labor Committee last week by a vote of 3-2, but has yet to post in Assembly committee or for a floor vote. The letters show strong support for the Healthy Terminals Act (HTA), which has overwhelming support and strong sponsorship in both chambers. The prominent group of New Jersey organizations demands its immediate passage as the state reopens amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group letter continues, “As we continue to have conversations around entering a new phase of re-opening, and/or to keep us at the level of controlled-contagion that we currently are at, it is crucial to tackle the issues our frontline workers face.”

A similar bill passed the New York Legislature in July, prompting the many bill supporters west of the Hudson to call on New Jersey legislators to not leave workers behind.

“The health and stability of EWR’s workforce has direct implications for our state’s critical infrastructure, security, and economy. Airport workers continue to service our state every day; they continue to clean commercial airplanes, receive cargo, assist passengers, and provide security, among other critical duties. Workers cannot effectively perform these functions if they themselves are uninsured and unprotected in the face of multiple threats.”

The Healthy Terminals Act, which was introduced by Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assemblywoman 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.

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.

Full letter text:

VIA EMAIL

August 19, 2020

Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney

125 W. State Street

Trenton, NJ 08625

Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin

125 W. State Street

Trenton, NJ 08625

RE: NJ Senate and Assembly to post and pass S989/A2487

Dear Senate President Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Coughlin,

We write to you today to urge you to put the “Healthy Terminals Act” bill S989/A2487 through Committee and Floor votes immediately. As advocates of working people, we understand that this bill is one that will improve the lives of over 10,000 workers in the state of New Jersey^[1]. We all understand that health care is not a privilege; it is a right – a right that thousands of New Jersey airport workers continue to struggle to attain. Airport employees in particular have suffered from lack of access to quality, affordable healthcare, despite being frontline workers; thousands of workers at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) remain uninsured. The Healthy Terminals Act makes sense for us all; it would save the state millions^[2] and provide a more secure future for thousands of our neighbors.

The health and stability of EWR’s workforce has direct implications for our state’s critical infrastructure, security, and economy. Airport workers continue to service our state every day; they continue to clean commercial airplanes, receive cargo, assist passengers, and provide security, among other critical duties^[3]. Workers cannot effectively perform these functions if they themselves are uninsured and unprotected in the face of multiple threats. Beyond possible security risks related to violence and terrorism, daily exposure to thousands of passengers may mean direct contact with pathogens that can infect workers or eventually their families. The COVID-19 pandemic has further proved this point; these workers need access to affordable healthcare to keep themselves and the thousands of travelers they interact with on a regular basis, safe, and to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, or any other communicable disease, in our state. The Healthy Terminals Act would also positively impact the aviation industry – their path to recovery is based on restoring consumer confidence in the safety of flying, and that begins with the safety of the workers, their health and wellbeing.

Furthermore, we have seen that COVID-19 has brought to light once more the inequities in our society, having torn through Black and Brown communities^[4]. Black and brown communities have higher rates of infection and worse outcomes than the population at large despite making up a smaller percentage of the population ^[5]. Additionally, we know that people of color have faced greater challenges to accessing treatments and tests for these illnesses, one of the primary reasons being the lack of quality, affordable health insurance^[6]. People of color: these same individuals are many of the people we see working the subcontracted airport jobs^[7]. Every day, baggage handlers, cleaners, wheelchair attendants, and other airport workers, face various hazards related to chemicals, blood borne pathogens, diesel emissions and carbon monoxide^[8]. However, more than that, they face the risk of  a deadly virus, like that of COVID-19, and bringing it back to our communities.

The Healthy Terminals Act, S989/A2487, will help reduce turnover and enhance health and safety among the workers at Newark Liberty International Airport, providing this critical hub with a stronger workforce that will help protect and secure us all. S989/A2487 is a sensible legislation that not only does the right thing – protects our essential workers – but also is not a cost burden on our state. As we look for ways to reduce costs to our state and potentially save ourselves from a fiscal crisis, we should look at this bill – it would save the state about $7 Million. Currently, much of the bill for airport employees’ health care falls onto the taxpayers, as payments for public programs such as  Medicaid^[9].

As we continue to have conversations around entering a new phase of re-opening, and/or to maintain the current level of controlled-contagion that we currently are at, it is crucial to tackle the issues facing frontline workers^[10].  It is crucial to have our airport workers insured and in good health, for the rest of us to enjoy the same. We urge you to post the Healthy Terminals Act S989/A2487 for a vote in its respective committees and then for a full floor vote in the Senate and Assembly, and send it off to the Governor’s desk.

Thank you for your time and continued work to protect all New Jerseyans.

Sincerely,

AFL-CIO, New Jersey

American Friends Service Committee, New Jersey

American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ)

Blue Wave

Communications Workers of America – NJ (CWA-NJ)

Faith in New Jersey

Latino Action Network

LUPE PAC

New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice

New Jersey Citizen Action

New Jersey Clean Water Action

New Jersey Policy Perspective

New Jersey Working Families Party

New Labor

Make the Road New Jersey

Our Revolution Essex County

Salvation and Social Justice

Sierra Club

Unite Here Local 100

Work Environment Council

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.

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