Contract expiring for 1000 passenger service workers at MSP
Passengers wait in line to check in for their flights at Terminal 1 in Minneapolis on Feb. 22, 2023.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News 2023
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Uber and Lyft drivers spoke in front of Minneapolis City Hall before a committee hearing about driver pay rates on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, rideshare drivers held a one-day strike at the Minneapolis Saint Paul airport.
This month another group of workers linked to the airport are organizing for higher wages and benefits. SEIU Local 26 represents the airport staff who provide services like cleaning cabins and pushing wheelchairs. Their contract is set to expire on Thursday.
Sahan Journal reporter Alfonzo Galvan is following this story and he joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: Well, in just a few minutes Uber and Lyft drivers are speaking in front of Minneapolis City Hall before a committee hearing about driver pay rates. Earlier this month, rideshare drivers held a one day strike at the Minneapolis Saint Paul airport.
This month, another group of workers linked to the airport are organizing for higher wages and benefits. SEIU Local 26 represents the airport staff who provide services like cleaning cabins and pushing wheelchairs. Their contract is set to expire in two days. Sahan Journal reporter Alfonzo Galvan is following this story. He's on the line right now. Alfonzo, welcome back.
ALFANZO GALVAN: Thank you for having me, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Explain what this particular union is asking for.
ALFANZO GALVAN: So in this case, SEIU Local 26 are asking for a wage increase, like in many other instances. Workers told me they want at least $20 an hour minimum wage. They're currently at about $15 and some change. And also, they want an affordable health care plan.
CATHY WURZER: Now, these workers aren't exactly employees of the airport, right? They work for four different companies according to your reporting?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah, that's right. They work for four different companies that are subcontracted through them. It's ERMC, Prospect, G2, and Global Elite. As you mentioned before, these workers are in charge. They're wheelchair agents. They're cart drivers. They're cabin cleaners, and they do employee screening as well.
CATHY WURZER: So who will make the decision on raising the wages? Will the MAC, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, have any say in this since they are contractors, or is it strictly the companies involved?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Well, that's kind of where the issues lie. They're trying to figure out who's going to be in charge of getting this wage increase, whether it's through the MAC or whether it's through their employers. In the past, MAC has set a minimum wage for employee airport workers. But in this case, they're kind of wanting to let the employees and their employers settle the issue.
CATHY WURZER: I'm wondering about the legislature. I'm going to ask you about the rideshare drivers here shortly, but they went to the legislature last session. They'll probably go to the legislature this session, too. Could the legislature get involved in this case?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. It seems like that's a possibility. State lawmakers like Senator Erin Murphy have stated their support for the airport workers. She said she'd be willing to make something happen but would like to see the issue resolved at the bargaining table first.
CATHY WURZER: So you mentioned that they're looking for more money, the workers in question here. You wrote that the minimum wage was going to increase with inflation according to a complicated formula defined by the State Department of Labor and Industry. Has that happened at all for those workers?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. Last I spoke to workers about a week ago, they did tell me that they've had an increase to their pay. But for them, it's not enough to them because of inflation and other issues, higher cost of living. They still want more money.
CATHY WURZER: Had they been working without a contract for a while now?
ALFANZO GALVAN: So their contract expires at the end of January. This contract has been in effect since March 1, 2020, so it's going to be the first time that they're working without a contract in about four years.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Any sense from the folks you've been talking to? Might they walk off the job?
ALFANZO GALVAN: No, it's still too early to tell. Negotiations recently started in December. I'm told by the Union that there will be more negotiations in February. But right now, it's too early to tell where workers are at and how likely it is to be resolved before people walk out of the job.
CATHY WURZER: So we're talking about airport workers. I mentioned the rideshare drivers in Minneapolis. Boy, that's been a debate that's been going on for a while. What's happening at City Hall today?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yes. So today before the city council meets, rideshare drivers will be having a press conference explaining, again, this issue that they've been having for the last two years, wanting increased wages from Uber and Lyft.
Of course, there are ordinance in the works. Last we heard, there were a comparative analysis of three compensation models that will be presented today, so we're going to see what pay is going to look like for drivers and how likely it is to pass at least at the city level.
CATHY WURZER: I was noticing that Uber has been running a lot of ads on Twin Cities TV stations just kind of touting their services and how important they are. Have you heard from the rideshare services like Uber about what they think of this?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Last time I heard from Uber, I was actually invited to-- one of the rideshare groups had a meeting with Uber. And Uber said that in terms of what the drivers want and what Uber can give them, they're pretty close to an agreement compared to a year ago. But nothing has happened yet, and they're still waiting to see what comes from this legislative session from the proposed ordinances in Minneapolis.
CATHY WURZER: So it looks like there's two tracks here, the Minneapolis ordinance and then potential state legislation, right?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. It seems like it's the same thing as last year. Who can give drivers the wages they want first? Is it going to be through a city proposal, or is it going to be through a state bill?
CATHY WURZER: OK. Final question here. There's a lot happening here. There are a lot of contracts being negotiated. Is there a larger story here?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. It just seems 2024, that's going to be the leading story, workers rights, their fight for increased wages. A lot of them are saying that they've been affected by inflation, just this rising cost of living, and they want to be making a little bit more money.
And because this year a lot of these contracts are ending, whether it's downtown janitors or whether it's the workers at the airport, now is the time that workers are trying to get more money.
CATHY WURZER: Alfonzo, I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much for helping our listeners parse through all that's happening. We appreciate it.
ALFANZO GALVAN: Thank you for having me again.
CATHY WURZER: Alfonzo Galvan is a reporter for Sahan Journal. You can read his work at sahanjournal.com, and we'll have a link to it on our website.
This month, another group of workers linked to the airport are organizing for higher wages and benefits. SEIU Local 26 represents the airport staff who provide services like cleaning cabins and pushing wheelchairs. Their contract is set to expire in two days. Sahan Journal reporter Alfonzo Galvan is following this story. He's on the line right now. Alfonzo, welcome back.
ALFANZO GALVAN: Thank you for having me, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Explain what this particular union is asking for.
ALFANZO GALVAN: So in this case, SEIU Local 26 are asking for a wage increase, like in many other instances. Workers told me they want at least $20 an hour minimum wage. They're currently at about $15 and some change. And also, they want an affordable health care plan.
CATHY WURZER: Now, these workers aren't exactly employees of the airport, right? They work for four different companies according to your reporting?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah, that's right. They work for four different companies that are subcontracted through them. It's ERMC, Prospect, G2, and Global Elite. As you mentioned before, these workers are in charge. They're wheelchair agents. They're cart drivers. They're cabin cleaners, and they do employee screening as well.
CATHY WURZER: So who will make the decision on raising the wages? Will the MAC, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, have any say in this since they are contractors, or is it strictly the companies involved?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Well, that's kind of where the issues lie. They're trying to figure out who's going to be in charge of getting this wage increase, whether it's through the MAC or whether it's through their employers. In the past, MAC has set a minimum wage for employee airport workers. But in this case, they're kind of wanting to let the employees and their employers settle the issue.
CATHY WURZER: I'm wondering about the legislature. I'm going to ask you about the rideshare drivers here shortly, but they went to the legislature last session. They'll probably go to the legislature this session, too. Could the legislature get involved in this case?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. It seems like that's a possibility. State lawmakers like Senator Erin Murphy have stated their support for the airport workers. She said she'd be willing to make something happen but would like to see the issue resolved at the bargaining table first.
CATHY WURZER: So you mentioned that they're looking for more money, the workers in question here. You wrote that the minimum wage was going to increase with inflation according to a complicated formula defined by the State Department of Labor and Industry. Has that happened at all for those workers?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. Last I spoke to workers about a week ago, they did tell me that they've had an increase to their pay. But for them, it's not enough to them because of inflation and other issues, higher cost of living. They still want more money.
CATHY WURZER: Had they been working without a contract for a while now?
ALFANZO GALVAN: So their contract expires at the end of January. This contract has been in effect since March 1, 2020, so it's going to be the first time that they're working without a contract in about four years.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Any sense from the folks you've been talking to? Might they walk off the job?
ALFANZO GALVAN: No, it's still too early to tell. Negotiations recently started in December. I'm told by the Union that there will be more negotiations in February. But right now, it's too early to tell where workers are at and how likely it is to be resolved before people walk out of the job.
CATHY WURZER: So we're talking about airport workers. I mentioned the rideshare drivers in Minneapolis. Boy, that's been a debate that's been going on for a while. What's happening at City Hall today?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yes. So today before the city council meets, rideshare drivers will be having a press conference explaining, again, this issue that they've been having for the last two years, wanting increased wages from Uber and Lyft.
Of course, there are ordinance in the works. Last we heard, there were a comparative analysis of three compensation models that will be presented today, so we're going to see what pay is going to look like for drivers and how likely it is to pass at least at the city level.
CATHY WURZER: I was noticing that Uber has been running a lot of ads on Twin Cities TV stations just kind of touting their services and how important they are. Have you heard from the rideshare services like Uber about what they think of this?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Last time I heard from Uber, I was actually invited to-- one of the rideshare groups had a meeting with Uber. And Uber said that in terms of what the drivers want and what Uber can give them, they're pretty close to an agreement compared to a year ago. But nothing has happened yet, and they're still waiting to see what comes from this legislative session from the proposed ordinances in Minneapolis.
CATHY WURZER: So it looks like there's two tracks here, the Minneapolis ordinance and then potential state legislation, right?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. It seems like it's the same thing as last year. Who can give drivers the wages they want first? Is it going to be through a city proposal, or is it going to be through a state bill?
CATHY WURZER: OK. Final question here. There's a lot happening here. There are a lot of contracts being negotiated. Is there a larger story here?
ALFANZO GALVAN: Yeah. It just seems 2024, that's going to be the leading story, workers rights, their fight for increased wages. A lot of them are saying that they've been affected by inflation, just this rising cost of living, and they want to be making a little bit more money.
And because this year a lot of these contracts are ending, whether it's downtown janitors or whether it's the workers at the airport, now is the time that workers are trying to get more money.
CATHY WURZER: Alfonzo, I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much for helping our listeners parse through all that's happening. We appreciate it.
ALFANZO GALVAN: Thank you for having me again.
CATHY WURZER: Alfonzo Galvan is a reporter for Sahan Journal. You can read his work at sahanjournal.com, and we'll have a link to it on our website.
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