Guest MINDSETTER™ Julie Hayden: The Struggle of Low-Wage Work During the Holidays

Thursday, December 17, 2015

During this holiday season, thousands of families will head to Portland International Airport, getting ready to board planes to celebrate the holidays at destinations all over the country. If your family is one of those flying for the holidays, I hope you will take a moment to recognize the workers at the airport and appreciate all the effort they put in day in and day out. For three years in a row, PDX has been named the best in the country by Travel and Leisure magazine and workers like myself take great pride that our hard work contributes to making our airport number one.

I love my job at the airport. For the past two years, I’ve worked as a janitor, making sure the gates, operations offices and passenger lounges are healthy and clean. What I enjoy most about my job is the daily interactions I have with passengers. I love talking to them, making sure they have what they need and that their experience at our airport is the very best it can be.

Despite the joy I get from work, I, along with many others, am increasingly concerned by what’s happening behind the scenes at PDX.

What many don’t realize is that much of the work being done at PDX is now contracted to out-of-town corporations that are bring in big money. Instead of airlines like Alaska employing workers directly, they farm it out to other companies like Menzies, Prospect and CBM. And over the years, this practice has led to serious issues like high turnover, inconsistent training, lack of proper equipment and increasingly low wages with little to no benefits. And each of these challenges in turn impacts our passengers and ultimately reflects upon our community.

Improved standards and better paying jobs would mean a lot for me and my family and I know that many other PDX workers are working full time and struggling to get by on poverty wages.

Since I started working at the airport, I make $11 an hour, or about $23,000 a year (if I’ve been given enough hours). On that income, I support my two teenage daughters and my husband. My husband used to work too, but he was injured on the job and can no longer work. Just paying the bills is a daily source of stress. I often have to choose between paying the bills or
putting food on the table. I’d love to see my daughters (who are really smart), go to college, but don’t know how we’d be able to pay for it.

Sadly, my family’s story is not unique and our challenges are similar to hundreds of other workers at the airport and thousands across our state who work hard but are struggling to get by on poverty wages.

This is why hundreds of workers are coming together to organize our union– for higher standards, a voice in the workplace, and good jobs that include a $15 minimum wage. So when you head to the airport this holiday season to get on a plane or pick up loved ones, take a moment to look around and remember that there are hundreds of people working hard to make it the
best in the country.