Workers Celebrate as MSP Airport Passes $15 Minimum Wage
MSP Airport workers celebrated the passage of a $15 minimum wage by the Metropolitan Airports Commission. The Commissioners voted unanimously to pass the policy, which will see a first increase on January 1st, 2021 with workers reaching $15 on July 1st, 2022, the same time as the Minneapolis minimum wage. Workers have been pushing for a wage increase for years and thousands of workers, mostly immigrants and people of color, will see their wages increase dramatically over the next 2 years. Many currently make just $11 per hour, the current airport minimum wage.
Glen Brown, a father, wheelchair agent at MSP for over five years and member of SEIU Local 26 who currently makes $11, spoke at a press conference ahead of the vote with other airport workers and airport commissioners.
“After years of fighting, after rallies, protests, meetings, hearings and more, today we have a vote to raise the minimum wage at the MSP Airport to $15 per hour. This is an important step towards making sure this wonderful airport, which has won so many awards, is a place where everyone who helps make it run is treated with the respect we deserve,” said Brown. “This has been a hard year. COVID has changed our world and taken so many people. George Floyd was murdered not far from here. We all are dealing with the uncertainty of what comes next. But today I’m glad to say we have some good news. When we talk about people finally getting the respect we’ve always deserved but too often not gotten, it’s important to note that most of the people making the lowest wages here at MSP are people of color. Today’s vote will increase the economic security for thousands of people, but it is also a step towards fixing our state’s racial disparities.”
Steps to $15 in Proposal
$13.25 January 1, 2021
$14.25 July 1, 2021
$15.00 July 1, 2022
Annual Cost of Living Adjustments Every January 1 thereafter
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