Airport workers unite for healthcare

Organized with SEIU Local 6, workers are fighting for universal healthcare coverage at Sea-Tac

SEATAC, WA (May 9, 2025) — Following in the footsteps of Sea-Tac workers who won the nation’s first $15 minimum wage in the country, airport workers are joining together to win a new battle: healthcare coverage for every worker at Sea-Tac. They’re calling on the Port of Seattle to pass a resolution requiring that all employers at the airport provide quality, affordable health insurance, just like policies in place at airports in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Newark.

These airport service workers do critical work as wheelchair agents, cabin cleaners, ramp agents, and baggage handlers, keeping our airport clean, safe, and accessible. While they don’t always have the same visibility to the public as pilots, for example, their work is just as essential for a functioning airport. But right now, about a third of all airport service workers rely on Medicaid for healthcare, and another third go uninsured altogether, per SEIU Local 6, the workers’ union.

Sea-Tac Airport workers at a contract rally in April. Photo: SEIU Local 6

This workforce — primarily immigrants and people of color — takes on serious health risks every day. The work is physically intense, risking debilitating injuries. And providing direct services to travelers means workers are exposed to illness; through the height of the COVID pandemic, these workers helped keep the airport running at great personal risk, all without health insurance.

“We need health insurance—especially older workers like me,” said worker Ador Deguzman in a statement. “I’m 63 years old. I’ve worked at Sea-Tac since 2004. The insurance our employers offer is unaffordable. In this type of job, you don’t know when you might get hurt. We strain our backs because we’re constantly lifting heavy baggage or pushing people in wheelchairs. Years ago, I was in the ICU for 9 days. I had to pay out of pocket because I didn’t have adequate insurance.

“Airlines who contract our employers should make sure we’re covered,” continued Deguzman. “The job is not easy and we worked during the pandemic with no health benefits. The companies and airlines need to do better.”

Even in the face of fears over the actions of a federal administration hostile to immigrants, this largely immigrant and refugee workforce continues to show up every day to serve the flying public.

TAKE A STAND: Add your name to the workers’ petition telling the Port of Seattle that all airport workers deserve healthcare—no matter their race, country of origin, or who signs their paychecks.