Courtesy of Houston Airport System
FILE: Terminal B at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Under an executive order signed by Mayor John Whitmire on Wednesday, many airport workers will be paid $20 an hour immediately, followed by additional raises in coming years — a significant hike from current hourly wages as low as $15.
“As strong as our city is, it’s only as strong as our workers are,” Whitmire said. “Organized labor works.”
The Texas chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents many of the covered employees at the city’s two airports. They work across passenger service, cleaning and baggage operations. The order requires vendors and contractors at the city-owned airports to meet the new wage standards.
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A spokesperson for SEIU said the union expects the wage hike to benefit more than 35,000 workers.
Augusta Dillon works at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. She said she struggles to live on $16.75 an hour while raising a grandchild who has autism.
Dillon said the low pay meant “always robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
“I had to choose between paying my car note and my rent, and of course, I chose to pay my rent. Yesterday, they took possession of my car because I couldn’t make that payment,” she said. “But today, I feel hopeful.”
Related: Unionized hospitality workers in Houston saw ‘historic’ wins in 2025. More could see gains in 2026
The wage hike comes almost a year after workers represented by the UNITE HERE union went on strike at the downtown Hilton Americas-Houston hotel. After 40 days on the picket line, they won nearly identical wage gains. In the following months, UNITE HERE workers at the George R. Brown Convention Center, airport lounges and the Marriott Marquis won new contracts with similar pay hikes.
All told, about 37,000 hospitality workers won approximately 30% raises through their unions over the past year.
Joaquin Martinez, chair of the city council’s labor committee, repeated the rallying cry of the striking workers.
“One job should be enough,” Martinez said.