Protest calls for increased pay for security guards at airports
Workers at Bush Intercontinental Airport called for higher wages during a protest Tuesday, part of worldwide demonstrations.
“We’re joining a global day of action that’s happening in about 35 different airports around the world,” said Elsa Caballero, president of Service Employees International Union Texas. The local protest was held outside the airport at the intersection of Greens Road and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
Security officers, in particular, were pushing for a path to at least $12 an hour, Caballero said.
The Houston Airport System hires a contractor to supply these security officers, who are not affiliated with the Transportation Security Administration officers.
Caballero wants to ensure airport workers are included in the conversation happening around Houston.
A contract ratified earlier this year, for instance, will gradually raise the minimum wage for Houston First housekeepers, floor technicians and other staff to $12 an hour by 2021, up from $9.35. Houston First, which operates and manages city-owned facilities, employs these workers through a contract with Midwest Maintenance.
Over the last year, Mayor Sylvester Turner and members of City Council have listened to security officers and included many of their concerns in a new municipal request for proposal for city contractors that provide janitorial and security services.
A recent request for proposal from the Houston Airport System, seeking a contractor to supply security guards, proposed salary scales starting at $12 an hour and increasing over the life of the contract.
“To maintain the highest quality level of professional security officer services,” the request for proposal reads, “contractor shall ensure employees and subcontractors are compensated at, or above, the following minimum salary levels.”
Caballero said airport workers are also pushing the city to hire responsible contractors that will respect their employees.
“It’s another opportunity to raise awareness,” she said, “but mostly we wanted to be part of this national, global day of action to make sure that Houston is not forgotten.”