FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 22, 2018

Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259

RWDSU, UNITE HERE LOCAL 100 AND LOCAL 1102 RWDSU HERALD PORT AUTHORITY’S NEW WAGE PROPOSAL – FINALLY MEMBERS WILL EARN A LIVING WAGE

Today, President Stuart Appelbaum of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), Bill Granfield, President, UNITE HERE Local 100, and Alvin Ramnarain, President of RWDSU Local 1102 announced their support for the Port Authority’s new wage resolution, which would steadily increase workers base wages, many of whom were receiving minimum wage, to $19 per hour by 2023. RWDSU and Unite HERE represent over 7,600 workers across the New York area airports who work in airline catering and airport concessions, but implementation of the proposal could impact tens of thousands of workers at area airports. Workers could start seeing pay increases as early as this summer.

Joint Statement from: Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), Bill Granfield, President, UNITE HERE Local 100, Alvin Ramnarain, President of Local 1102 of the RWDSU:

“We enthusiastically support the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s new wage resolution, which was unanimously approved at today’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Service workers at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark Liberty, are key to the success and security of our region’s airports. The new wage floor of $19 per hour by 2023 shows tens of thousands of workers that they are valued by the people of New York and New Jersey and will allow hard working men and women to finally support themselves and their families with their airport job. Crucially, we were happy to see that the Port Authority’s resolution covers all airport service workers. This remedies an oversight in the previous policy, passed in 2014, which did not include airline catering workers. We applaud the Port Authority for approving this resolution unanimously.”