Murphy Signs Healthy Terminals Act

On Apr 29, 2021

Gov. Phil Murphy today signed the Healthy Terminals Act (S989) which creates new minimum wage and benefits requirements for certain Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Newark Liberty International Train Station workers.

The legislation requires covered airport and train station employees to be paid wage rates that are at least the wages set under the federal prevailing wage law for building service employees.  The bill further requires supplemental benefits equal to those designated by the Commissioner of Labor pursuant to determinations made by the General Services Administration under the federal McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act of 1965.

The bill provides that, on and after September 1, 2021 and every year thereafter, the prevailing wage rate applicable to a covered employee may not be less than the following:

• any minimum wage rate established through a policy of the Port Authority; and
• an amount of wages or supplements equal to the rate designated by the Commissioner of Labor based on the federal prevailing wage for the geographic region based on federal contracting laws.

“For a long time, we have heard the concerns and often desperate pleas from airport workers for access to affordable healthcare and for wages that allow them to support themselves and their families,” said Governor Murphy. “This legislation provides workers at Newark Airport the dignity, respect, and treatment that they deserve. These men and women have selflessly been serving through the COVID-19 pandemic as critical infrastructure workers, and I am proud to sign this legislation that will finally provide them with the health care and compensation that they need and have fought for.”

Primary sponsors of S989 include Senators Loretta Weinberg, Linda Greenstein, and Steve Sweeney, and Assembly members Annette Quijano, Daniel Benson, Joseph Egan, and Shanique Speight.

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