For the last three Atlanta mayoral administrations, contract workers who clean Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have been calling for higher wages.
After 13 years of mostly workers of color pushing, picketing and eventually threatening to strike for above poverty wages, airport cleaners will get a minimum of $12 to $15 dollars an hour. That’s up from a minimum of $8.50, according to the Service Employees International Union.
Still, workers tell WABE their fight isn’t over. They’re calling on airlines like Delta to ensure all airport workers, from the curb to the cabin, get the same raise.
Cynthia Hartfield, a cleaner at Atlanta’s airport for 39 years, told WABE she helped band other workers together — many who can barely afford to eat and support their families.
“You can’t do that with two kids on eight dollars an hour. It ain’t gonna happen,” Hartfield said. “Then you have some people out there working, and sleeping in the airport. You’ve got someone who’s out there working, and begging for food. It’s unreal. It’s well overdue.”
