After a two-year push for higher wages, contracted service workers at Reagan National and Dulles International airports are set to get a hefty bump in pay — more than 50 percent higher in some cases.
The board of directors for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees both airports, voted Wednesday to give a raise to around 5,000 employees including baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, and terminal and cabin cleaners who work with contractors that do business with airlines.
Many of them have been making as little as $7.25 an hour.
“The hardworking contracted employees at our airports deserve to earn a wage that gives them a fair shot at pathways to the middle class,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who praised the airports authority for its decision.
“Millions of passengers from D.C. and beyond rely on these men and women to travel safely, and higher wages will ensure that MWAA can retain the experienced employees who keep our airports safe and sustainable,” she said.
Under the new MWAA policy, airport contractors would be required to pay employees $11.55 starting in January of next year. Wages are set to rise to $12.15 in 2019 and then to $12.75 the following year.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Nick Iannelli over at WTOP