Holiday travel is just around the corner and people will head to airports, like Phoenix SkyHarbor International Airport, where I work, to catch flights connecting them with their loved ones. Most people don’t think about the people cleaning the terminal, they just want it to be clean. I work cleaning offices for American and Southwest Airlines, so I can afford to live here in my new home in Arizona.
I was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and came to the United States ten years ago, after I spent two decades living in a refugee camp in Uganda as I fled the violent conflict in my home country. I’m grateful to be safe and to have my loved ones close to me, but the American dream isn’t exactly as advertised.
I work almost nonstop. Some days I only sleep a couple of hours between shifts and I have to sleep at the airport. I still live paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford health care. I work so much I barely see my family. I am willing and able to make these sacrifices to help build a better future for my family, but it's hard to know I am struggling to get by and the CEO of American Airlines is taking home $30 million dollars a year.
That’s why I show up with my coworkers in our union to demand we are paid fairly for the work we do, despite barely getting any rest between jobs. For many airport workers our wages simply aren’t enough. We aren’t living; we’re just surviving. Meanwhile, the pay for top airline executives has doubled—or even tripled—since 2022! Airlines have the resources to invest in the people who work hard to serve passengers and keep their operations running! Ultimately, the airlines are prioritizing profits at the expense of the public and the workers who make air travel possible.
That’s why we are done waiting for these companies to pay us the wages we deserve. We are demanding that the City of Phoenix take action. The city administration must protect its citizens by requiring the corporations at Sky Harbor to pay their workers $25 an hour. It’s the right move for workers like me and for travelers at the airport. A fair wage is proven to help bolster a stable, well-trained, and experienced workforce. If airlines pay their workers a fair wage, everyone stands to benefit—both at the airport and beyond.
