As nearly 500 Logan Airport workers employed by JetBlue’s subcontractors FSS and ReadyJet have started their strike, City Councilor Lydia Edwards filed a resolution to support Boston Logan Airport workers – striking a cord in the newly elected District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn.
At the Boston City Council hearing on Wednesday, February 7, Ed Flynn who represents South Boston, downtown, Chinatown, and parts of the South End, made his inaugural address on how he supports collective bargaining and fair wages for every worker in the City of Boston.
“These workers are exercising their right to organize for fair and living wages,” said Flynn. “They are symbolic and part of the fabric of what makes Boston great. They work hard, pay their taxes, and struggle like all of us to raise their families the best they can. They are merely seeking to be treated fairly and with respect and dignity.”
“In short, they seek social and economic justice.”
Currently subcontracted airport workers like wheelchair attendants, cabin cleaners and customer service agents keep Boston Logan Airport up and running everyday while making low wages and few, if any, benefits.
Airport workers have been forced to file charges for alleged surveillance, threats and intimidation of workers who are organizing for workplace changes.
The higher wages, benefits and union representation that these airport workers are organizing for would benefit the families and the Boston communities that they are a part of.
The resolution states that workers in this country have a legal right to organize and shouldn’t have to face illegal threats and intimidation when they do.
“We stand proudly with the striking workers at Logan Airport, just as we did with the striking nurses at Tufts Medical Center last summer, and the working families all across this city,” said Flynn. “We stand with those seeking to collectively bargain for fair and living wages or safe working conditions.”
“I am committed to working with each of you in the City Council, and Mayor Walsh, to ensure that Boston remains a world-class city for all. And let us ensure that our work reflects unwavering support for working people, standing with the most vulnerable, and treating everyone in this city with dignity and respect.”