WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has a deep and abiding interest in ensuring the quality and competitiveness of the Philadelphia International Airport; and
WHEREAS, Advancement of this interest relies upon a stable, productive workforce. In particular, the Airport's efforts to raise its perennially low traveler-satisfaction ranking among large airports would be enhanced by better supporting the approximately 1,000 Philadelphia employees of PrimeFlight and Prospect in providing core Airport services such as baggage handling, cleanliness and security; and
WHEREAS, The stability and productivity of this workforce is undermined by inferior wages, benefits, and workplace conditions; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia also has a deep and abiding interest in the well-being of all Philadelphians, which requires workplace fairness as a foundation; and
WHEREAS, This spring, after four years of lawful organizing action, Local 32BJ successfully won an election—overseen by the National Labor Relations Board—to organize the approximately 1,000 workers employed by PrimeFlight and Prospect at the Airport; and
WHEREAS, Since that time, PrimeFlight and Prospect have refused to participate in collective bargaining with those workers on behalf of Local 32BJ; and
WHEREAS, This refusal to negotiate with a properly and legally unionized group of employees is antithetical to the civic values of the City of Philadelphia and the airport that it oversees; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Calls on PrimeFlight Aviation Services and Prospect Airport Services to negotiate in good faith to form a collective bargaining agreement with their Philadelphia employees, as represented by Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ.
End