Port of Seattle Cops Kick Out Airport Workers Rallying For Healthcare

Union airport workers rallied at the Seattle-Tacoma International airport Wednesday afternoon to demand that the Port Commission act to guarantee quality health care for all airport workers, protect workers from federal targeting, and remove barriers for workers to exercise their right to free speech rights at the airport. 

Ironically, before the chanting even began, Port of Seattle Police Department (PSPD) kicked the union workers out of the airport and demanded they leave the premises by threat of arrest and possible force. 

“Whether we’re inside or out here, it doesn’t change that right now this airport isn’t doing what it needs to do to protect workers in this economy,” said SEIU6 Deputy Director Greg Ramirez to the workers, pushed to the side of the highway in the rain. 

Ramirez told the crowd that organizers originally planned to send a few representatives to deliver a letter of demands to the Port Commission. Primarily, the workers raised concerns about health insurance. While the 1,200 workers employed directly by the Port have health insurance, about 20,000 work at the airport total. And more than half of contracted airport workers “lack quality health insurance. Many are forced to come to work sick because they cannot afford care, putting themselves, their coworkers, and travelers at risk,” according to the unions. The organizers said the Port Commission can fix this issue by requiring airport contractors to provide affordable, quality health insurance, something other major West Coast airports already do. 

But before they could deliver the letter, PSPD blocked the workers. Then, a small group of workers tried to rally near Door 00, an area the public can access before security. But again, PSPD shooed them away. Finally, a cop herded all the workers outside, near the pet relief area, and instructed them to leave the property immediately or face arrest. A dozen or so bike cops joined the cop to intimidate the workers to comply. 

PSPD’s dramatic reaction shocked organizers. Afterall, organizers claimed the Port knew in advance about what would have been a quick demonstration from a few dozen airport workers. Not only did the cops potentially dull the shine of their protest, this also called into question their actual commitment to their union brothers and sisters. PSPD is represented by Teamsters 117, a union that signed on to the demand letter and attended the rally. While organizers seemed frustrated, many will not be surprised by this behavior. Cop unions are often seen as distinct from the broader labor movement because critics argue they are not typically committed to working class solidarity, but rather avoiding accountability for the violence they inflict against working people.

Teamsters 117 Secretary-Treasurer Paul Dascher said that PSPD officers have "a challenging job" in a statement to The Burner. Dascher said that PSPD officers are "proud union members who benefit from one of the strongest contracts in the country," but at the same time they are "tasked with making sure visitors to the airport feel safe." Dascher said the cops did a good "job balancing" those things at the rally yesterday.

"The real problem exists with Port of Seattle management," Dascher said. "If the Port would do more to ensure that workers have access to good healthcare, SeaTac Airport could truly be a model for what it looks like when all workers are treated with dignity and respect.

Like Dascher, some organizers encouraged people to direct their anger at the elected officials who directed the Teamster 117 cops to foil their union brother and sisters’ actions. It is unclear who ordered PSPD to break up the action, but the Port Commissioners expressed varying levels of sympathy for the workers. 

Commissioner Sam Cho busted out the old rule book in the comment section of The Burner’s Instagram: “I want healthcare for these workers as much as everyone else. But that doesn't mean they can break the rules.”

A spokesperson for the Port, Perry Cooper, said that the demonstration “did not comply” with the airport’s a “longstanding, transparent process” to permit first amendment activity “by the choice of the organizers.” Cooper claimed that Port officials explained the permit rules to this group three separate times prior to the demonstration and then twice during the event. Additionally, the Port restricts first amendment activities to designated areas: The skybridges and the flag pavilion where workers ended up demonstrating Wednesday. 

Still, Commissioners Toshiko Hasegawa and Hamdi Mohamed were not pleased with the cops shooing away workers. 

“We are beyond disappointed to learn that Port Police impeded delivery of the petition,” Hasegawa and Mohamed wrote in a joint statement. “We remain committed to ensuring that First Amendment rights, including the right to peacefully demonstrate, are respected. We will be calling for an emergency Commission executive session to review today’s events and understand what happened.”

Further, there’s some disagreement among commissioners whether the Port can even meet the health insurance demand. Cho commented on social media several times to distinguish the workers as contractors, not directly employed by the Port. 

While this distinction clearly aims to absolve the Port Commissioners of responsibility, other airports set basic workers’ rights regulations for contractors. To that point, Cooper told KING5 that Port of Seattle doesn’t have the same authority to make those requirements because is a “special purpose government” and not run by a City or County. 

Still, Hasegawa and Mohamed wrote in their statement that as co-chairs of the Port Commission’s Workforce Development and Conditions Committee, they have directed port staff to develop a policy to require a healthcare standard for SEA workers. According to the Port’s website, the Port Commission has been working on this since 2024. Wednesday’s action made clear that many workers are done waiting for a study session to turn into policy.