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Airport workers urge Phoenix council to adopt living-wage standard and probe alleged wage violations; parking-fee hikes also condemned
Summary
Dozens of airport workers and union representatives told Phoenix City Council about low pay, alleged wage theft at recent contractor transitions and steep employee parking hikes; speakers urged a $25/hour living wage, worker-retention protections and that the city consider pending wage claims in contract and permit decisions.
Multiple airport workers and union representatives used the Feb. 4 Phoenix City Council meeting to press for higher wages and better protections at Sky Harbor International Airport, and several speakers described alleged wage violations tied to recent contractor transitions.
Union organizers said they have filed complaints with the Industrial Commission of Arizona and the state attorney general's office alleging unpaid wages by contractors that assumed airport food-service operations; those organizers urged the council to consider such claims when evaluating future city contracts and commercial-use permits for airport vendors. "We filed 6 complaints with the ICA and 5 complaints with the attorney general's office," one organizer said during public comment, urging the council to act.
Workers repeatedly asked the council to adopt a $25-an-hour living-wage standard for airport service workers in commercial-use permits. Passenger-assistance staff and cleaning workers recounted struggling to afford health care and basic needs on current wages. "A $25 an hour would allow me to spend time with my family and live a better life," said Theophile Bangany Gabbo, an airport cleaner.
Speakers also criticized announced increases to employee parking fees at the airport, calling the hikes unfair to shift workers who rely on driving when public transit is unavailable or unreliable. Flight-attendant and airport employee representatives said the city's Aviation Department had agreed to meet with unions to discuss the parking increases.
City council members acknowledged the complaints and asked for clarifications; staff noted many claims are in investigatory status at state agencies and therefore unresolved. No formal city policy change was adopted at the meeting; unions asked the council to use contract and permit leverage in future to condition awards on compliance with wage and labor laws and to adopt worker-retention or wage standards for airport permits.
Status and next steps: Union representatives said investigations are pending with state agencies; the council indicated staff would continue discussions with Advocacy Groups and Aviation leadership. Council members encouraged continued engagement by unions and said city staff would relay concerns to the Aviation Department.
