Congress mandates prevailing wages for airport workers, empowers them to sue.
H.R. 9678 — Good Jobs for Good Airports Act · Filed by Chuy García (D-IL) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 14, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires employers of airport service workers at small, medium, and large hub airports to pay prevailing wages and fringe benefits determined under the Service Contract Act. It covers workers in ground handling, passenger assistance, security, ticketing, cleaning, catering, and concessions. Employers must certify monthly compliance, and the Department of Labor and Department of Transportation enforce the standards; workers and interested parties can sue to enforce the requirements.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a wage and benefit floor tied to prevailing-wage determinations, with dual enforcement by federal agencies and private right of action. It is fundamentally a labor-standards measure, not a subsidy, deregulation, or commemorative act.
What the text implies
- Private right of action (section 46112) allows workers and advocacy groups to sue employers directly in federal court, bypassing administrative exhaustion and potentially creating a parallel enforcement channel that may accelerate compliance or generate litigation costs for covered employers.
- Wage determinations are indexed to Service Contract Act methodology, which historically produces wages 20–40% above local minimum wage; this creates a significant cost floor for airport operators and may incentivize automation or service consolidation.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
airport service workers (wages and fringe benefits); labor unions representing airport workers; worker advocacy organizations (standing to sue)