Reaching Higher Coalition

“I don’t know how I would have raised my family and provided for their schooling if things were the way they are now.”

My name is Henry Watts. I’ve been a skycap at LAX for 20 years. I provide service for Northwest Airlines.

I’m proud to have raised 4 children and been able to provide them with a decent standard of living. I was able to do that because, as a Skycap, I received tips from many passengers. I don’t know how I would have raised my family and provided for their schooling if things were the way they are now.

When the signs about the $2 fee first went up, passengers were coming up to me and saying, “I’m so glad you’re getting what you deserve.” They thought it was all coming to us and they didn’t realize that in fact, we’d had our income cut in half!

A family of five will come up, with two bags each. That’s ten bags. They’ll give me $20 and thank me for my service. All of that goes to the airlines now, before it would all go to me.

The airlines just keep tacking on fees and fees. A lot of passengers are now saying, “I’m not giving the airlines another cent! I’ll just check my bag inside. Of course, this just makes the lines longer.”

Everything is just getting more and more expensive. But when you’re a contracted employee working for the airlines, you have to struggle for every dime. The airlines can always invent new fees to add on to passengers to stay profitable, but when I go to the gas station or the grocery store, how am I supposed to keep my budget? It’s time for somebody to balance the scales.