Agenda Summary
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In support of security officers in Greater Boston and airport service workers at Logan International Airport.
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Official Text
WHEREAS: 3,200 contracted security officers, mostly people of color, who protect Greater Boston’s offices, labs, and universities have negotiated past contract expiration and are campaigning to win employer-paid quality health insurance, a benefit which most officers cannot currently afford; and
WHEREAS: 2,500 contracted airport cabin cleaners, baggage handlers, wheelchair agents, and other service workers, mostly immigrants and people of color, who keep Boston Logan International Airport running, are campaigning for Massport to institute a policy that mandates airlines and their contractors to provide quality, affordable healthcare; and
WHEREAS: The commercial real estate and airline industries are key drivers of the regional prosperity that has largely bypassed these two groups of workers in Greater Boston; and
WHEREAS: Nearly a quarter of these workers report that they have been forced to delay or forego care due to the cost of healthcare and the need to keep up with one of the highest costs of living in the country; and
WHEREAS: These workers have come together through their union, 32BJ SEIU, to raise standards in their industries and secure this critical benefit many others take for granted; and
WHEREAS: The increased contracting-out of this work over the previous decades has led to a situation where fewer workers are able to rely on employer-paid insurance, and increasingly rely on strained public programs, exacerbated by the Trump administration’s recent cuts to healthcare; and
WHEREAS: The wealthiest industries in Massachusetts can well afford to take responsibility for the workers that serve them and their employees; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED: That the Somerville City Council stands in solidarity with security officers in Greater Boston and airport service workers at Logan Inter...
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