Our Stories: Walter Thomas
June 13, 2022
Walter Thomas is a security guard at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). He has worked at the airport for 10 years, ensuring that the airport’s hangars and warehouses are safe and secure.

Walter Thomas is a security guard at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). He has worked at the airport for 10 years, ensuring that the airport’s hangars and warehouses are safe and secure.
Joseph Lammons is a Cabin Cleaner at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). He enjoys his job and ensuring that passengers have a safe and clean airplane for their travels.
Sophia Harris is a Cargo Building Clerk at JFK. Sophia is originally from Jamaica and immigrated to the United States in 2017.
Airports belong to all of us. They are part of our cities and communities.
From baggage handlers to wheelchair attendants, jobs – often outsourced – offer low pay, few benefits and vary wildly by city. By Michael Sainato, The Guardian
Members of the Service Employees International Union and Airport Workers United chant in front of the American Airlines CR Smith Museum on March 30. Workers such as wheelchair attendants and curbside porters are contracted by airlines. By Seth Bodine, Fort Worth Report
Airline workers from American, Delta, and United Airlines wrote in an open letter to the CEOs of the three airlines, workers said it was time to stop treating the essential workers at airports as disposable. By Misty Severi, The Washington Examiner
Contracted airport workers—including baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, security officers, and wheelchair agents—in more than 20 U.S. cities staged coordinated demonstrations Wednesday to call for higher wages, better benefits, and the right to unionize. By Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams
Hundreds of airport workers — wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners and more — protested in over a dozen cities, from Dallas to Chicago. By Sarah Ruiz-Grossman, Huffington Post
Contracted airport workers are protesting in 20 U.S. cities to demand higher wages on Wednesday, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced. By Monique Beals, The Hill
After two years of remote work, it’s an adjustment for many. But for parents, they must also cope with an already-insufficient child care system decimated by the pandemic. By Eleanor Mueller, Politico
American Airlines’ alliance with JetBlue is now the subject of a lawsuit by the US Department of Justice and Attorneys General from six states and the District of Columbia.
Pressure Had Been Building in Recent Months as Consumer Groups, Antitrust organizations and SEIU filed comments calling for a full review
U.S. airlines responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with decisions about staffing that continue misguided tensions with workers who serve airline travelers.