A union that represents security guards is launching a six-figure advertising
campaign against JetBlue Airways for paying its guards poorly.
The ads from Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which appear
on cable television, taxi television and the Internet, seek to reach JetBlue’s
customers who use JFK International Airport. JetBlue contracts with Summit
Security service to provide 80 security guards at the airport, who are paid just
$20,000 a year, one ad claims, or “not enough to feed a family.”
The three 15-second spots also refer to JetBlue’s disastrous cancellation in
February of hundreds of flights, to passengers’ confinement for hours on
grounded airplanes, and to the airline’s “lousy snacks.”
A JetBlue spokesman says that the Summit Security guards focus on traffic
control, not baggage and aircraft security. Beyond that, he declined to comment
on internal labor issues.
SEIU Local 32BJ, which is trying to organize the Summit workers, represents
more than 50,000 building services workers in New York, including maintenance
crews, cleaners, doormen and superintendents.
This story was filed by Anne Michaud of Crain’s New York Business, a sister
publication of Workforce Management. To comment, please e-mail editors@workforce.com.