Advisory for Thursday, July 6

**For Planning Purposes Only**Contact: Emilia.Rowland@mail.house.gov 330.212.2065

2:30 pm – Summer Lee to Join Pittsburgh Airport Service Workers, 32BJ Members, Allies, Chris Deluzio and Others for Round Table Discussion, Special Announcement

4-5 pm – Summer Lee to Rally in Solidarity with UE Locals 506 & 618 on Strike for Green Union Jobs of the Future

Summer Lee to Join Pittsburgh Airport Service Workers, 32BJ Members, Allies, Chris Deluzio and others for Round Table Discussion, Special Announcement

• WHEN: Today, July 6, 2023 at 2:30 PM
• WHERE: Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport Hotel, Earhart Ballroom
• WHAT:
  • Summer Lee, Chris Deluzio join Pittsburgh Airport Service Workers, 32BJ Members Allies, and Others for Round Table Discussion, Special Announcement: Workers and elected officials will discuss labor trends at airports, the need to ensure safe and secure transit hubs, and call on Congress to include ‘Good Job for Good Airports Act’ wage and benefit standards in upcoming FAA Reauthorization. They will discuss labor trends in the airport industry, workers’ rights, creating safe and secure airports, and the need for Congress to include ‘Good Job for Good Airports Act’ wage and benefit standards in upcoming FAA Reauthorization. Additionally, Allegheny County Council Member Bethany Hallam will make a special announcement in support of the Good Job for Good Airports legislation. ‘

• The roundtable, led by Pittsburgh airport service workers (including terminal, gate, and ramp cleaners as well as wheelchair attendants), follows a month of escalation with actions in 20 cities to demand Congress take action to include ‘Good Jobs for Good Airports Act’ wage and benefit standards in upcoming FAA Reauthorization to ensure airport service jobs in publicly-funded airports have wage and benefit standards, stabilize the workforce, keep airports secure and maintain on-time travel. Passing the ‘Good Jobs for Good Airports’ Bill at the national level is essential to standardizing wages and benefits and ensuring travel disruptions do not happen simply because airports cannot maintain proper staffing due to low wages and benefits.

• WHO: amid a chaotic season of summer travel, airport service workers at Pittsburgh International (PIT) Airports, Congress members Summer Lee and Chris Deluzio, Council Member Bethany Hallam, allies, and 32BJ SEIU members will host a roundtable 

Summer Lee, John Fetterman, Sara Innamorato, Ed Gainey, Bethany Hallam to Rally in Solidarity with UE Locals 506 & 618 on Strike for Green Union Jobs of the Future

• WHEN: July 6, 2023 from 4-5 pm
• WHERE: Wabtec HQ | 30 Isabella Street
• WHAT: Solidarity Rally for UE Locals 506 and 618 
• WHO: UE Locals 506 and 618 alongside John Fetterman, Bethany Hallam, Sara Innamorato, Ed Gainey.

About/Background:

• The 1400 members of UE Locals 506 and 618 are on strike for the green jobs of the future. They are the most skilled locomotive builders in the world, and want to make the green locomotives that are essential to our country’s climate future.
• Instead of working with the union to build those green locomotives, Wabtec is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on stock buybacks and mergers and acquisitions.
• Wabtec is trying to squeeze as much profit out of its Erie workforce as possible.
• They are demanding that workers pay more for health insurance while accepting a wage increase that doesn’t keep pace with inflation.
• They want to replace senior employees with new hires, and continue to pay those new hires near-poverty wages.
• They refuse to heat the plant or invest in basic safety measures — workers are working in unheated buildings in the Erie winter and losing fingers to machinery.
• They refuse to settle issues in the plant, pushing grievances to arbitration — and then suing the union when they lose. This is why the workers want the right to strike over grievances.
• The company is trying to negotiate through threats, intimidation and union-busting tactics:

·     They threatened to permanently subcontract hundreds of jobs in its Erie plant if workers did not accept their last, best & final offer.

·     They sent a letter to all their workers encouraging them to resign from the union and cross the picket line.

·     They have filed a board charge trying to take away UE members’ constitutional right to peaceful protest.