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Thousands of low paid Airport workers at three US airports have voted overwhelmingly for a union to represent and bargain with the 13 companies who operate there. The three airports - John F Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia - operate services through 13 different companies in terminal cleaning, baggage handling and security. The workers, who recently won a community supported campaign for a minimum wage of 10 US dollars an hour, are mostly members of the SEIU Local 32 BJ and are now demanding that the company recognises it as their union to bargain better terms and conditions.

Thousands of poorly paid airport workers voted Monday to join the nation’s largest service workers union. As former New York Mayor David Dinkins and other supporters looked on, the security guards, cleaners and porters cast their lot with 32BJ SEIU.

“This is just the beginning,” union President Hector Figueroa said “The fight is just getting started.”

Some 4,051 workers out of 6,100 voted to become part of the union, Figueroa said.

A full report on this campaign had been presented at an earlier Conference on Airport Organising hosted by the German union ver.di and supported by Uni global Union and the ITF held in March 2014. This success is the outcome of a coordinated and planned campaign led by workers working with union organisers.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/airport-workers-vote-join-32bj-seiu-...