LOCAL
Airport workers deserve health care coverage
Sign the petition to the Port of Seattle urging commissioners to protect SEA’s workforce and pass a healthcare mandate
SEATAC, WA (December 5, 2025) — Workers at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport launched a national movement when they won the nation’s first Fight for $15 campaign over a decade ago. Now, workers have united again to win health care for all airport workers.
Policies requiring healthcare coverage for all workers are in place at airports in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Newark. In fact, SEA is the only major airport on the west coast that doesn’t guarantee affordable health care. 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. Workers have been fighting to right this wrong since 2024. Port of Seattle Commissioners will vote on a healthcare policy for airport workers on Tuesday, and workers are calling for labor and community to urge Commissioners to do the right thing.
TAKE A STAND: Sign the petition telling the Port of Seattle that all airport workers deserve health care, no matter who signs their paychecks. The petition reads:
This holiday season is the time to turn gratitude for Sea-Tac Airport workers into action by finally requiring employer-paid, quality, and affordable healthcare.
Airport workers at SEA have been fighting for quality, affordable healthcare since 2018. Every day they keep the airport running, but many still go without dependable, employer-sponsored coverage. When workers can’t afford to see a doctor, it hurts families, public health, and the airport’s long-term success.
The Port of Seattle has both the power and the responsibility to fix this. Under RCW 14.08.120(2), the Port can adopt rules and policies to govern and manage the airport, including setting basic standards for workers’ health and safety. As Commissioners, your fiduciary duty to protect the Port’s interests must include maintaining a safe, healthy, and stable workforce.
Right now, SEA is the last major international airport on the West Coast without a policy that guarantees access to quality, affordable health insurance for airport workers. The SEA Healthcare Benefits Analysis by the University of Washington shows there is a clear need for better coverage—and that the Port benefits when workers have strong healthcare through better retention, productivity, and reliability.
The December 9th vote is the moment to close this gap. Commissioners must move quickly and adopt, without delay, a resolution that creates a targeted, employer-paid healthcare requirement that delivers at least an Affordable Care Act gold-level plan. Airport workers cannot wait any longer—act now to mandate quality, affordable healthcare for all SEA workers.