The Port of Oakland, which oversees that city’s airport, is expected to adopt changes that labor experts say would make it easier for hundreds of employees with aviation services providers to unionize and remedy workplace problems.
The Board of Port Commissioners is set to give final approval on Thursday to an ordinance requiring companies that contract with airlines to handle baggage, clean airplane cabins, assist passengers in wheelchairs, provide security and other services to enter into “labor peace” agreements with unions seeking to represent their employees.
The move comes after nonunion workers accused some contractors operating at the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport of retaliation, unsafe conditions and failing to properly respond to serious injuries, including one that left a skycap in a wheelchair and unable to support herself.
“It’s important for workers to have a stronger voice, because they are the front line,” said Enrique Lopezlira, who directs the low-wage work program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “The more confidence they have in their ability to speak up without fear of losing their job or hours, then the safety and security of the Oakland airport improves. And that’s a benefit for everybody.”…