I never knew this about airport service workers; I had naively assumed that the people who clean aircraft and airport bathrooms were better paid, possibly with collective bargaining and a union to protect their rights. Not so; many of them are employees of companies who contract to do the service work at the lowest possible wages.
Remember, if you or a family member use the common "wheelchair service" at your airport this weekend, please tip the person who pushes the chair. They're working for peanuts.
The Secret Life of the American Airport Worker
I’ve spent the last six months investigating the lives of America’s airport workers: the wheelchair pushers, the cabin cleaners, the baggage handlers, the people who will—instead of heading back to their own family members—assist ours as we travel this week. If you ask airport workers what they’re doing for the holidays, or any holiday, they’ll nearly always respond that they’re working. What they never say is that they’re doing so for almost not…
