Airport Worker and Labor Organizer, Diana Ordaz Quezada to Join Congressman García for State of the Union Address in Washington

CHICAGO– Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced Diana Ordaz Quezada will be his guest at President Biden’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Diana Ordaz Quezada is a proud SEIU Local-1 Passenger Service Assistant at Midway International Airport in Chicago. Born in Mexico, Diana immigrated to the United States with her family when she was nine years old and has found a new home in Chicago. She currently lives in Chicago’s Southwest Side in Congressman García’s district. In her two years with Local 1, Diana has become a Steward and Bargaining Team member and has been instrumental in securing a strong contract in 2022 for Midway Airport workers. Through her advocacy,  Diana wrote a letter to the editor, published in the Chicago Sun-Times, raising awareness about the need for better work conditions for airport passenger assistants.

“Diana’s life story represents the American Dream, her immigrant parents came here looking for better opportunities for their family, and now Diana works to make our country a better place by ensuring airport workers like her have the dignity and compensation they deserve for their essential labor,” said Congressman García. “But she isn’t fighting alone, that’s why last year, I introduced the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, a bill that would prevent any small, medium, and large hub airports, from accessing federal funds unless airport service workers get the pay they deserve. It’s time to get up and speak out against corporate greed. And it’s time for Congress to legislate against it.”

“As a Passenger Service Assistant, I help people who need wheelchair assistance safely travel throughout the airport. It’s very important and rewarding work, but it’s not easy. I’m on my feet for 10 hours a day and walk more than 30,000 steps transporting passengers and their luggage,” said Diana Ordaz Quezada. “I’m a mother of five, and It’s so hard to raise a family on the wages we are paid now. Through my union, SEIU Local 1, we’ve won higher wages and we have a voice on the job to advocate for ourselves and families, but there is more work to be done! I’m proud to be attending the State of the Union with my Congressman Chuy Garcia, who is fighting with airport workers across the country to raise wages and benefits with the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act. We know air travel has been chaotic for everyone and it's time to make sure working people and passengers are treated with respect and dignity.”

In June of 2022, Congressman García and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, legislation that would provide airport workers with the pay, benefits, and labor standards they deserve after serving on the frontlines of our nation’s aviation system and keeping airports safe through a global pandemic, climate disasters, and peak travel seasons.

A copy of this legislation can be found HERE. A copy of the one-pager for this legislation can be found HERE. 

Specifically, this legislation would:

• Prevent small, medium, and large hub airports from accessing federal funds unless airport service workers are paid the prevailing wage and benefits as established by the Department of Labor.
• Require airports to ensure that service workers employed by vendors (such as restaurants and retail stores) are paid the prevailing wage and benefits.
• Apply to $11 billion in airport funding each year, including $3.2 billion in Airport Improvement Program grants, $3.5 billion airports receive from passenger facility charges, and $4 billion in funds under the bipartisan infrastructure law.

This legislation is endorsed by is endorsed by SEIU, CWA, Unite Here, the Transportation Workers Union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Association of Machinists, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, 32BJ SEIU, SEIU Local 1, SEIU USWW, SEIU 6, SEIU Local 49, SEIU Local 26, SEIU Local 105, and SEIU Texas.

# # #